The Green Bay Packers held a kicking competition during training camp this year and it actually ended with a twist: No one won the job.
After the team cut Anders Carlson on Tuesday, it appeared that Greg Joseph would be getting the kicking job, but then the Packers turned around and cut him on Wednesday. With both guys gone, the Packers needed to add someone, so they claimed Brayden Narveson off waivers from the Titans.
As things currently stand, it’s looking like Narveson is going to be the kicker for Green Bay’s season opener in Brazil next week, which comes with some serious risk, considering he’s a rookie, who has never kicked in a regular-season game. Packers coach Matt LaFleur admitted on Wednesday that his team is absolutely in “uncharted territory” at the kicking position, which isn’t exactly something you want to hear your coach say less than 10 days before your first game.
“This is uncharted territory, I would say, that I’ve been in, in my time in the league,” LaFleur said, via ESPN.com. “You just have to come in and perform. I don’t know how else to put it. But it’s definitely a unique situation.”
Narveson, who kicked for North Carolina State last season, signed with the Titans as an undrafted rookie in April. During the preseason, he drilled 6 of 7 field goals with his longest make coming from 59 yards.
Although he did have one miss during the preseason, that came from 58 yards out. Overall, the Packers were impressed with how he kicked in Tennessee, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst.
“He had a great preseason where he hit a 59-yard and a game-winner at the end to handle that kind of pressure. You’re constantly monitoring that kind of stuff,” Gutekunst said, via PackersWire.
Although he hit a 59-yarder in the preseason, he struggled from long range in college, hitting just 4 of 12 kicks (33.3%) from 50 yards or longer. Overall, he hit just 79% of his field goal attempts in college, which led LaFleur to admit that his in-game decision-making might have to change since due to having a rookie kicker.
“Absolutely, 100%, yeah,” LaFleur said. “I think you’ve got to take into account all the circumstances. No different though like when you go out and there’s inclement weather. Sometimes that affects some of the decision-making you make. We’ll see. At least we’ll get a couple days with him to kind of get a feel for him as he performs. What’s hard is you just don’t have any game experience with him. But he did a nice job in Tennessee, I know that.”
The Packers are taking a huge gamble by signing a rookie kicker so late in the process and asking him to kick in Week 1, but they’re hoping that gamble will pay off.
Green Bay will be opening the season in Sao Paulo on Sept. 6 against the Eagles. The Friday night game is the NFL’s first in Brazil.
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Author: John Breech
August 29, 2024 | 1:15 pm
