After a season with inconsistent play from the kicking position, Green Bay went the route of bringing in competition in the offseason to secure the kicker position. That came in the form of signing Greg Joseph to compete with Anders Carlson throughout training camp.
That seemed to be the biggest story of the offseason, as the Packers were supposed to be on the precipice of winning the Super Bowl. Bringing in competition seemed like the right move at the time. It turned out that Green Bay did not go either way and signed out of house, bringing in Brayden Narveson, who was with the Tennessee Titans through the offseason.
When the Packers brought in Narveson, it seemed like the right move. Carlson probably needed to go, just given the circumstances around his inconsistent play from the season before. In his time in Green Bay, Narveson wasn’t necessarily relied on, as Green Bay’s early season schedule was pretty easy. Good thing that Narveson did not need to be relied upon, as his time in Green Bay was just as tumultuous as Carlson’s.
Narveson converted 12-of-18 field goals. On top of that, out of his 38 kickoffs, he was able to kick just 18 for touchbacks. Seeing the inconsistency in the kicking game, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst elected to sign Brandon McManus.
The signing came as a little bit of a surprise given McManus’ history of alleged sexual assault. After the NFL declared that there was insignificant evidence to support the sexual assault claims, McManus was listed as free agent. After signing with the Packers, the case was marked as resolved with no other information provided.
McManus instantly made an impact as he converted two game-winning field goals to push Green Bay close to the top of the NFC. On the season, McManus converted 20-of-21 field goals, with a long of 55 yards. He also went perfect on extra points hitting 30 of 30 attempts.
Even though the kicking game looked a lot stronger this past season, there were still some issues when it came to when snaps, as well as McManus’ distances. While 55 yards being a season long is great, there seemed to be some hesitation from Matt LaFleur on kicking long field goals.
The major question surrounding McManus now is if he comes back next season. It seems likely that he is a priority for Gutekunst, given the stability he provided this season.
“I had a good conversation with him before he left and obviously you guys saw how he solidified that journey that we were going on,” said Gutekunst, on the possibility of re-signing McManus. “I think the thing that was so neat about being around him is not only his confidence, but his ability to adjust, no matter where we were or what weather we had. If we were able to get Brandon back, I think certainly that would make me feel very good about that group.”
If it does not work out where the Packers have to look a different way for kicker next season, it seems likely that Gutekunst goes the route of signing another veteran given the success from what happened last season. With what Gutekunst said though, it is probably inevitable that McManus kicks for the Packers again next season.
Overall, does Green Bay make the playoffs with Carlson or Narveson kicking this season? Probably, just given that the Packers were in the hunt for the playoffs the majority of the season. But having McManus there provided the stability and consistency needed for the Green Bay coaching staff and front office to feel comfortable moving through the season.
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