The Green Bay Packers OTAs are always in progress. There are many questions about Green Bay’s OTAs. Some of these questions include: what will the offensive line look like, how is the new running back room, who are the best wide receivers, and so on. However, one of the most intriguing bouts of OTAs and the entire summer will be the kicking competition. Last season, Anders Carlson was the Green Bay Packers’ field goal kicker. During the regular season, he converted 81.8% of his field goal attempts (27 of 33). He went 20-for-20 from 20-39 yards out.
Carlson went 7-for-13 on field goals from 40 yards or more. He made 34 out of 39 extra-point attempts. What Anders Carlson did in the postseason concerned Green Bay Packers fans. He was 2-of-3 on field goals, for a 66.7% success rate. Carlson made only 8 of 13 extra points. He missed some key kicks in the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers that proved to be costly. The Green Bay Packers currently have three kickers on their roster and will see how that battle goes.
The Packers have assembled a strong kicking competition to fight alongside Anders Carlson for the kicking job in the 2024 NFL season. Following what happened in the previous postseason, Green Bay felt compelled to do something. Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports wrote about the Green Bay Packers’ kicking competition going into OTAs, saying:
“The Packers chose to start OTAs with an unusual three-player kicker competition. It’s unclear whether they’ll keep Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph, and Jack Podlesny in training camp. The kicker position is unique, and OTAs can have a significant impact on the competition. The player may demonstrate their abilities, and perhaps general manager Brian Gutekunst will decide to cut one of them before the pads come on.”
A season ago, Greg Joseph was the Minnesota Vikings’ kicker. He converted 24-of-30 field goal attempts and 36-of-38 extra points. His longest field goal from a season ago was 54 yards. Joseph is 29 years old, whereas Carlson is 25. It will be interesting to see how this training camp and OTA competition with the field goal kickers plays out. There will be no clear winner, and the Green Bay Packers will have to decide this over the course of the summer.
