Over the past year or two, the Green Bay Packers have had a terrible run at the kicker position. They decided to part ways with Mason Crosby, the franchise’s all-time top scorer, at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season. They selected Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft in an attempt to replace him.
As concerning as the decision was to move on from Crosby and to replace him with a kicker who was widely considered un-draftable, it was even more of a concern that the Packers did not bring in any competition for Carlson during training camp last year.
2023: Anders Carlson, a former kicker for the Green Bay Packers, has difficulties
Carlson kicked for the Packers for just one season, during which he converted 81.8% of field goals and a dismal 87.2% of extra point attempts. His inconsistent behavior was the most worrisome thing. While he started out the first third of the season perfect, he went on to have one of the worst kicking seasons in recent memory in Green Bay.
Although Crosby had a few seasons where he failed to convert more than 80% of his field goals, he was nearly always certain of an extra point. Last season, Carlson missed more kicks than any other player in the NFL; at one point, he failed to convert at least one in 10 out of 12 games, which included Green Bay’s two NFL Playoff games, which they lost by a three-point margin to the San Francisco 49ers.
Greg Joseph was brought in by the Green Bay Packers to take on Anders Carlson.
Unwilling to hand Carlson the position uncontested once more, Green Bay made the decision to have veteran Greg Joseph challenge Carlson for it during training camp. The previous three seasons, Joseph was a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Training camp began as a fierce competition between the two kickers, with both looking to have improved their accuracy over the offseason. However, Joseph had a rough practice week toward the end of camp, which put them back in a tie. After Carlson missed a chip-shot field goal in Green Bay’s final preseason game, he was released when the initial 53-man roster was announced. However, Joseph was only kept on for a day, as Green Bay claimed Brayden Narveson off of waivers from the Tennessee Titans.
Greg Joseph, a former kicker for the Green Bay Packers, has signed with the Detroit Lions.
However, Joseph is no longer unemployed. His agency said earlier this afternoon that he signed a contract to join the practice squad of the Detroit Lions:
Throughout his career, Joseph has made 90.1% of his extra point attempts and has an 82.6% field goal percentage. He played for the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans for one season apiece before spending three seasons with the Vikings.
He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers practice squads.
The Lions are Joseph’s eighth team in seven years.
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