It would be surprising if Trey Smack isn’t the Green Bay Packers’ starting kicker in Week 1. Still, considering Green Bay’s recent track record at the position, they should probably bring in at least some competition during training camp.
Let’s go back to the spring of 2023. The Packers had just drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round, much like Trey Smack in 2026. At the time, Green Bay believed Carlson was their kicker of the future. They did not bring in real competition during the offseason and essentially handed him the job from Day 1, allowing him to take nearly all the reps throughout OTAs, minicamp, and training camp.
However, that belief never truly paid off. Carlson struggled throughout his rookie season and finished the year with 13 missed kicks, the most in the NFL. Looking back, it almost felt like everyone outside the organization understood that giving a young kicker the job without legitimate competition was a risky approach. The outcome was not exactly surprising to anyone who had an honest assessment of the situation heading into the season.
That said, Trey Smack is not Anders Carlson, at least not as a prospect coming out of college. Carlson entered the NFL as more of a projection than a polished kicker. At Auburn, he made just 71.8% of his field goals, going 79 for 110 across five seasons.
Smack, meanwhile, was the best kicker in this draft class. If one kicker was expected to get drafted, it was him. His college production was on a completely different level: 82.8% on field goals, 14 for 19 from 40-49 yards, and 10 for 13 from 50-plus. He also went 100 for 101 on extra points and hit from as far as 56 yards.
“We liked him quite a bit, and we think he has a good chance to be a good kicker in the National Football League,” Brian Gutelunst said of Smack following the draft. “But the way the board was falling, where we were sitting in the seventh round, I didn’t feel great about what we were going to be able to select with those two picks, and didn’t feel great that he would be there then. So we made the decision to do that.”
Green Bay drafted a kicker, which many football pundits consider poor value. They also traded up to make sure they got their guy. That alone says a lot about how the organization views Smack. When a team makes that kind of investment in a specialist, especially after its recent struggles at the position, it’s hard to believe they don’t expect him to win the job.
Right now, Smack’s main competition is Lucas Havrisik. The Packers also released Brandon McManus on Friday, which could be another sign that the organization is ready to fully turn the page and trust its younger kickers moving forward.
I believe the Packers are comfortable moving forward with their young kickers. Havrisik was solid in limited action last season, converting all four of his extra points and going seven for nine on field goals. He also drilled a 61-yarder in Arizona, setting the record for the longest field goal made in franchise history.
Still, this feels like Trey Smack’s job to lose. Green Bay traded up to draft him, viewed him as the top kicker in the class, and believes he can stabilize the position long term. At this point, it would probably take a disastrous summer or something unexpected for Smack not to make the Week 1 roster.
