Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Packers release three players, but keep unique competition

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated 5/6/24

The Green Bay Packers officially signed wide receivers Julian Hicks and Dimitri Stanley, plus offensive lineman Lecitus Smith, as had been reported. And in order to do so, general manager Brian Gutekunst announced three corresponding moves, so the Packers could be compliant with the 90-man roster limit.

The Packers released cornerback Anthony Johnson (who's not safety Anthony Johnson Jr.) and defensive lineman Deandre Johnson, and also waived/injured wide receiver Thyrick Pitts. Pitts goes through waivers, and if no other team claims him, he reverts back to the Packers' injury reserve.

Competition

The most curious aspect of the series of moves is that the Packers decided to keep three kickers on the 90-man roster.

Last year's sixth-round pick Anders Carlson is the incumbent starter, but Gutekunst mentioned he wanted to create competition for the job. So, he signed veteran Greg Joseph and first-year player Jack Podlesny, both former Minnesota Vikings players.

"I think Anders had a promising rookie start," Gutekunst said. "But we wanted to bring in competition. That position is obviously critical to us attaining our goals moving forward, and we'll continue to make sure there's competition through training camp on that one."

Rookie season

The Packers decided to let veteran kicker Mason Crosby walk in free agency last year as part of the team's youth movement. That decision was ok, but the sucession plan hasn't gone well. The Packers spent a sixth-round pick on a kicker, which is per se a questionable move, and Carlson had a tough first year in the NFL.

The rookie converted 27 of 33 field goals, a decent 81.8% rate. However, he led the NFL in missed extra points, converting only 34 of 39 XPs. In the playoffs, he missed kicks in both games, including a decisive 41-yard field goal against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.

It's still unclear if the Packers will carry three kickers into training camp, but maybe they will test the three options during the organized team activities.