The Green Bay Packers have an interesting competition of legitimate consequence brewing in training camp, which could result in the Pack parting ways with one of its recent draft picks.
Kicker Anders Carlson, a sixth-round selection in 2023, missed a fateful field goal try in the late stages of Green Bay’s NFC Divisional Playoff matchup against its long-time rival the San Francisco 49ers. That mistake contributed to a crushing 3-point loss in a game the Packers arguably should have won.
The controversy that swirled around Carlson and head coach Matt LaFleur after the defeat has ultimately manifested in a summer face-off between Carlson and former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph for the starting job. And as of right now, Joseph is winning.
Andy Herman of Packer Report and Pack-A-Day Podcast reported on Saturday, August 3, that Joseph is 37-of-41 on field goal attempts during camp practice sessions, while Carlson is 34-of-41, per a clarification posted to X that Herman confirmed in the comments section.
That is an unofficial count, and Herman acknowledged that tallies could vary based on how individual practice attendees score the attempts — for example, which attempts reporters count as official based on the defense calling a timeout prior to a try in order to replicate in-game situations.
While the entire exchange on social media was a little chaotic and confusing, the overarching message was clear: that Joseph is out-dueling Carlson to this point in the proceedings. That is scary news for the latter, considering NFL teams almost never carry two kickers on the roster simultaneously. As such, should Joseph win the battle come the end of August, Carlson will likely be seeking alternative employment.
Much Still to Be Determined in Race Between Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph for Starting Job
That said, what happens in televised preseason games against actual competition is liable to count at least as much, if not more, than what goes on in practice. And as of August 4, Green Bay had yet to take part in any preseason action.
The Packers will face the Cleveland Browns on August 10, the Denver Broncos on August 18 and the Baltimore Ravens on August 24 before cutting their personnel down to the unofficial 53-man roster and subsequently designating another handful of players to the practice squad.
While there are other areas of intrigue where potential Packers contributors will jockey for position, the job of placekicker should be one to watch all the way down the stretch.
Greg Jospeh Slightly Better Than Anders Carlson Over Larger NFL Sample Size
Teams are generally loath to move on from draft picks early in their careers, and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has proven to be no different. But Carlson’s struggles at a high-profile position, upon which the outcomes of games often ride, could put him in a precarious situation.
There is recent precedent for a team moving on from a drafted kicker, as the Browns parted ways with Cade York following his rookie season in 2022. Cleveland drafted York in the fourth round the year before Green Bay took Carlson in the sixth, but several errant field goal and extra point tries in big moments led to York’s dismissal ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Carlson missed six field goals during the 2023 regular season (27-of-33) as well as five extra points (34-of-39), per Pro Football Reference. Joseph has played five years in the NFL, serving as a team’s primary kicker in four of those seasons, including each of the last three years in Minnesota.
During his three campaigns with the Vikings, Joseph missed an average of six field goal attempts (83-of-101 total) and four extra points (112-of-124 total) annually, which render his percentages slightly superior to those of Carlson over a significantly larger sample size.
Beyond that, Carlson is entering the second season of a four-year rookie contract that pays him $4 million total but included only $157,000 in guaranteed money. The Packers can transition from Carlson to Joseph painlessly from a salary cap perspective, which means the play of both men over the next month will determine who has a job and green and gold come September and who hits the free agent market.
