The Green Bay Packers will begin training camp on July 22. This season won’t have as many questions as it did last season as Jordan Love was fantastic the second half of the season. His production led the Packers to the NFC Divisional round.
There won’t be too many position battles in training camp as the roster is young and is returning most of their production from last season. Ironically, the kicking position is one of the top competitions this year. Here is a look at the three kickers on the roster.
Green Bay Packers Kicking Battle- Anders Carlson
Anders Carlson will be the incumbent in this competition. The Green Bay Packers selected Carlson in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has a cannon for a leg and showed it off at times last season.
There wasn’t a battle in training camp last season with Carlson and maybe that was a mistake by the coaching staff. It can be hard to kick as a rookie as well. Carlson ended up making 27/33 field goals last season, including 100% from inside 40 yards. 40 yards and out, he was 7/13. Carlson also missed five extra points. Included was a 41 yard field goal Carlson missed in the NFC Divisional Playoff game. Instead of a seven point lead, it stayed at four. The 49ers then marched down the field, scored a touchdown, and ended the Green Bay Packers season. It’s not why the Packers lost, but all the momentum shifted after that. All in all, it was a kick Carlson should not have missed.
Greg Joseph
Greg Joseph is the veteran of this trio. He already has five seasons under his belt. This includes the last three seasons as the Minnesota Vikings kicker. In 2023, Joseph was 24/30 on field goals and was perfect inside of 40 yards too. He was also 7/13 from 40 yards outside. In his career, Joseph is 82% on field goal attempts.
The stats are almost identical to Carlson. This surprised me a little bit because Joseph spends over half the season indoors with no wind. Carlson is only indoors a few times.
James Turner
Turner is a rookie free agent who kicked for the NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines last year. In 2023, Turner was 18/21 on extra points and 85% on field goal attempts. His longest field goal was 50 yards and ended the year 6/9 from 40 yards out. He was also perfect inside of 40 yards.
Who Wins?
I think it will be Carlson who wins this battle. The Green Bay Packers spent draft capital on him so they won’t give up on him in year two unless he struggled bad. Joseph is statistically the exact same kicker with more years of experience. It wouldn’t pay to keep Joseph because of that. I do think these two will compete in at least the first two preseason games.
I don’t see a scenario where Turner makes it to the end of training camp. It could be a potential opportunity if both Carlson and Joseph struggle, but best case is the Packers keep him on the practice squad. I doubt that happens as well.
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