Packers Facing A Major Kicker Problem Once Again

John Madden once said, "If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none." That quote also applies to the Green Bay Packers and their uninspiring kicker situation.

After drafting Anders Carlson with the 203rd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Packers put all their eggs in his basket. Carlson was supposed to be the succession plan to Mason Crosby but has been anything but in his one-plus years in the NFL so far.

Carlson only made 81.8 percent of his field goals during his rookie season, ranked 24th among kickers who attempted at least 10 field goals in 2023. Comparatively speaking, he was even worse on extra-point attempts when he only made 87.8 percent of them and ranked outside the top 25 kickers.

Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia hopes Carlson follows in his brother's footsteps. After a rocky start to his career, Daniel Carlson was waived by the Minnesota Vikings. He ended up with the Oakland Raiders and has since become one of the best kickers in the NFL. The Packers wanted to avoid that same mistake.

However, denying that Anders might not be an NFL-level kicker is getting more challenging.

The Packers brought in competition in the form of Greg Joseph during the offseason. Joseph made 80 percent of his field goals last year and 94.7 percent of his extra points. However, he's spent most of his career kicking indoors.

With both kickers competing in training camp (plus a third player at the position who is probably a non-threat), neither player wants to win the battle. Following a barrage of misses during Wednesday's practice, Carlson has made 48 of his 60 attempts (80 percent) during Training Camp. Meanwhile, according to Andy Herman, Joseph is only faring slightly better by going 50-for-61 (82 percent).

Both numbers could be better and would rank among the worst of kickers year in and year out.

The Packers need to resolve this issue quickly. As they discovered against the San Francisco 49ers in last year's playoff, the kicking game can cost you dearly when the games matter most. It's so hard to win the Super Bowl, and you need to stack everything you can in your favor. Green Bay needs to figure out how to tilt its kicking game toward average instead of a weakness.

There's plenty of training camp left for a winner to emerge. Unfortunately for Carlson and Joseph, it's possible the Packers' kicker come Week 1 isn't currently on the roster. Green Bay understands its position and will do whatever it takes to ensure it has someone it trusts booting the ball through the uprights. Buckle up; it's going to be a bumpy ride.

More Packers news and rumors: