Packers workout 5 kickers; what it could mean for Mason Crosby
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers reportedly had five kickers in for a workout on Monday, which raises the all-important question, why?
The kickers brought in, according to Rob Demovsky, included Matt Ammendola, Chase McLaughlin, Chandler Slaton, Parker White, and Cameron Dicker.
In five years at Oklahoma State, from 2015 to 2019, Ammemdola made 60 of his 78 field goal attempts. Last season with the New York Jets, he made 13 of 19 field goals and 14 of 15 extra points.
McLaughlin made 44 of 59 attempts with Illinois from 2016 to 2018. He also has NFL experience, with a success rate of 76% on 49 attempts from the 2019 to 2021 seasons that came with several different teams.
Slaton went 64 of 79 for Appalachian State and was undrafted in 2022. White was also undrafted this past spring after hitting 72 of 99 attempts with South Carolina. And lastly, Dicker went 60 for 79 with Texas from 2018 to 2021.
What this could mean for Packers kicker Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby currently finds himself on the PUP list after undergoing knee surgery earlier this offseason. The Packers just recently signed Ramiz Ahmed, who, in his short time with the team, has impressed, both against New Orleans, making both of his field goal and extra point attempts, as well as in practice.
It is still unknown whether or not Crosby will be ready to go for Week 1 in Minnesota. If he remains on the PUP list, he will have to miss the first four games of the season before he can be activated.
At that point, Ahmed could end up as the Packers’ kicker during that stretch, with any of the kickers brought in today being added to the practice squad as an emergency option at that time.
It’s very possible that the Packers were just doing their due diligence, in the event that Crosby is unavailable at the start of the season, which remains an unknown at this time.
A tell of where Crosby is at in his recovery might be if the Packers sign one of these lockers prior to the regular season without releasing Ahmed. Then they very well may be preparing to be without Crosby for the first few games.
Crosby is coming off a down season in which he missed nine field goals, but not every miss fell squarely on his shoulders between the poor blocks, inconsistent snaps, and miss-held holds.
Crosby will be the Packers’ kicker this season; there is just too much risk in relying on an inexperienced player for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The big question, however, is when will he be available?
All stats courtesy of Sports Reference