The Green Bay Packers have a new kicker in the mix with Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph at training camp after making a series of roster moves ahead of their preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on August 10.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, the Packers have signed rookie kicker Alex Hale to their 90-man roster after working out three other kickers over the past two days. The team also signed defensive ends Brevin Allen and Zach Morton and waived cornerback Don Callis and wide receiver Rory Starkey Jr. with injury designations.
Hale — an Australian native — played five seasons at Oklahoma State before declaring for the 2024 NFL draft last winter. In 2023, he made 27 of 34 field goals with a long of 53 yards and 36 of 38 extra points in 13 games for the Cowboys.
Hale also made 79.6% of his career field goal attempts (43-of-54) and finished as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award during both the 2020 and 2023 seasons.
The Packers already had one opening on their 90-man roster after cutting quarterback Jacob Eason on August 5. They cleared the other two spots waiving Callis and Starkey; though, both will revert to the team’s injured reserve list if unclaimed on the waivers.
Can Alex Hale Push Anders Carlson & Greg Joseph?
The Packers signing Hale indicates they are not satisfied with their current two-man kicking competition at training camp. Carlson — a 2023 sixth-round pick — is fighting to keep his job as their primary placekicker after an uneven rookie season, but Joseph is looking to lean on his experience (100 career field goal makes) to dethrone him.
Both kickers, however, have struggled through the first few weeks of the Packers’ camp. According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Carlson has gone 37-of-47 on field goal kicks while Joseph has gone 40-of-47 in the team’s open-to-media practices, including a particularly windy session on August 6 that saw both kickers miss three of seven tries.
Does that mean Hale will have a chance to meaningfully shake things up, though?
How the Packers handle kicking reps against the Browns should be illuminating. It seems more likely than not that Carlson will get the first crack at kickoffs and field goals in the preseason opener as the returning starter, but the team could also look to divvy up the reps between multiple kickers with Joseph more likely to play than Hale.
Perhaps Hale can surprise the Packers and genuinely compete for the 53-man roster. Huber posted on X that he made all three of his field goal kicks in his first practice on August 7. Until the Packers start testing him in preseason games, though, it is safer to assume he is a temporary addition intended to add pressure for their other two kickers.
Packers Add Pass Rushers to Help With Injury Woes
The Packers also signed two defensive ends — Allen and Morton — to their 90-man roster on August 7, moves that make sense considering their current injury issues.
While Kingsley Enagbare returned for Wednesday’s practice after missing the past few with a hamstring injury, the Packers remain shorthanded in their bottom-roster edge battles with both Deslin Alexandre (lower leg) and Keshawn Banks (groin) sidelined. The additions of Allen and Morton will help with that even if both only turn out to be camp bodies for the Packers while they work through their stretch of injuries.
Then again, Allen and Morton could see playing time against the Browns if neither Alexandre nor Banks gets healthy in the next three days. If they do, it might open a window of opportunity for one or both of them to push for spots with the Packers either as depth pieces on their 53-man roster or as members of their practice squad in 2024.
