The Green Bay Packers’ drama at the kicking position continues, and like a good soap opera, there is enough action to keep people guessing what is going to happen next.
The Packers thought they had a solution coming into the season as Brandon McManus came off a strong 2024 campaign. But a quad injury opened the door for Lucas Havrisik, who booted a franchise-record 61-yard field goal in his absence. The Packers have since gone back and forth on which of the two kickers is on the active roster, and it’s made Matt LaFleur look like the main character in a telenovela.
The latest chapter came on Wednesday when McManus practiced in full, according to the Packers’ official injury report. While LaFleur’s allegiance to McManus and his injury status would signal he would be the kicker for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers’ kicking drama for this week seems far from over.
Packers Kicker Drama Isn't Over Despite McManus Returning to Practice
Last week’s chapter in this drama made it seem like Havrisik kicked his way out of Green Bay. After missing two extra points in a win over the New York Giants, LaFleur seemed less than thrilled about his kicker’s performance, leading many to believe that McManus would take his job back when he returned to health.
A full practice on Wednesday would seem to indicate that McManus has, indeed, returned to take his job, but the same thing happened before last week’s game. While McManus logged full practices last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, he popped up as doubtful on the injury report on Saturday before being ruled out of the game entirely on Sunday morning.
There could be a few reasons for this strategy. Kicking isn’t as strenuous an activity as a skill position player or lineman would face on the practice field, so having McManus log a full practice to see how he feels while injured isn’t as extreme as it seems. The Packers could also allow him to test it out through the week, and if he’s not feeling great, they can go with Havrisik without having to elevate him from the practice squad.
While this makes sense for the Packers in theory, it could also be rectified by placing McManus on injured reserve, having him miss four games to provide him the opportunity to get as close to 100% as possible, and allowing Havrisik to fill in. Instead, the Packers have opted for a day-by-day approach, meaning Green Bay likely won’t know who its kicker will be until the Vikings touch down in Appleton this weekend.
For Packers fans, they’d rather have it become a boring storyline where McManus or Havrisik wins the job, making field goals and extra points no longer an adventure. However, until McManus shows he’s healthy, the Packers’ kicking job will be up in the air as the world turns.