Packers round out 16 player practice squad signing K Ramiz Ahmed
By Paul Bretl
The one remaining opening on the Green Bay Packers practice squad has now been filled by kicker Ramiz Ahmed, per the NFL transaction wire, who had been with the team during the last few weeks of training camp.
There had been a lot of roster movement at the kicker position this offseason. At one point prior to minicamp, the Packers had three kickers on their roster between Mason Crosby, Dominik Eberle, and JJ Molson.
At different points in the offseason, eventually, both Eberle and Molson were cut, and rookie Gabe Brkic would be signed and take over as the go-to option in practice while Crosby remained on the PUP list.
Brkic was then cut following the preseason opener in San Francisco, in which he suffered an injury and also had a very bad miss on a field goal attempt.
Ramiz Ahmed provided a steady presence for the Packers at kicker during the last few weeks of training camp
That was when Ahmed joined the team, and he provided some much-needed stability at the position. Ahmed would make all three of his field goal attempts in the preseason, including one from over 40 yards, and according to Bill Huber of SI, he missed only two kick attempts during all of the practices.
Just before the Packers’ 53-man roster had to be set last Tuesday, we did not know if Crosby was going to be activated off the PUP list and available for Week 1. Had he not been, the kicking job, in all likelihood, would have gone to Ahmed.
Much like Molson last season, Ahmed will likely remain on the practice squad for the season as an emergency option at the kicker position. If he remains with the Packers through the regular season and the offseason, he may have the opportunity to be Green Bay’s kicker in 2023, as this is the final year of Crosby’s current deal.
Crosby is coming off a down season in which he missed nine field goal attempts, but hopefully, improved play overall from the field goal unit will help him bounce back. Between the inconsistent blocking, snaps, and holds, not every missed field goal attempt was on Crosby.
The Packers’ practice squad may be set for the time being, but as we’ve frequently seen from GM Brian Gutekunst in previous seasons, he will continue to churn this portion of the roster with new players coming in and out on almost a weekly basis.