GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s only one practice, but Greg Joseph’s 7-for-7 day and Anderson Carlson’s 4-for-7 session on Thursday gave the veteran a leg up (pun intended) in the Packers’ two-man kicking competition. Joseph is now 29-of-31 in training camp on kicks attempted in front of reporters, while Carlson is 25-of-31.
The Packers released undrafted rookie kicker James Turner from Michigan this week, so they have two to choose from — for now. Last year, the 2023 sixth-round pick Carlson had no competition in camp or at any point during the season but missed a kick in nine of the Packers’ final 12 games of the season, including a 41-yarder in the fourth quarter of a three-point loss to the 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Carlson made 29 of 36 field goals in the regular season and playoffs last season and 41-of-47 extra points. Joseph, who turns 30 on Sunday, is a career 82.9-percent field-goal kicker (102-of-123, including 2-of-2 in the playoffs) and a career 158-of-174 (90.8 percent) on extra points. Joseph has been in the league since 2018 and kicked for the Browns, Titans and Vikings for the last three seasons and now the Packers.
Will his stint in Green Bay last beyond training camp? If he keeps up his current form, it just might. Joseph made kicks from 41, 42, 45, 47, 49, 51 and to finish practice, 58 yards on Thursday. He has now made 14 consecutive kicks over three practices and will look to carry that streak into Family Night on Saturday at Lambeau Field. Joseph said being in this groove “feels good,” but he claims he doesn’t pay attention to any of those numbers and maybe not even the yardages from which he kicks.
“I don’t look at stats,” Joseph said. “I don’t look at yesterday. I’m not looking at tomorrow. Look at today and literally seeing my foot through each and every ball one at a time like singularly and that’s it … I don’t look at it as 7-for-7. It’s 1-for-1 times seven in my head, so keeping that mindset and then obviously trying to stay in that groove and then taking that mindset to preseason.”
Greg Joseph was the kicker on Keisean Nixon’s 105-yard house call against the Vikings in 2022.
Joseph today: “I had the chance to make a tackle. I tried. He stiff-armed me, but now it’s all in good fun because now we’re on the same team. So like the first day we were here, we… pic.twitter.com/zH6IFWIMKW
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 1, 2024
Joseph didn’t even know his last kick of practice was from 58 yards.
“Didn’t even know we were that far back, to be honest, and I’m not trying to sound any type of way,” he said. “My mindset is just locked in that wherever they put the ball down, I get my line, I get my aiming point and I put my foot through the ball the same as if it was a PAT or the same as if it was a 65-yarder.”
Veteran special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will have a decision to make in the coming weeks, so a couple of things to consider:
1) Carlson’s untapped potential as a second-year kicker compared to Joseph’s as a seventh-year veteran could be a factor in the decision even if Joseph out-kicks Carlson in camp.
2) There’s more to a kicking battle than just the field goals these guys attempt during open practices, so it’s not as simple as Joseph having a four-kick lead.
3) Bisaccia helped Carlson’s older brother, Daniel, become an All-Pro kicker with the Raiders after a rocky start to his career with the Vikings in 2018. There’s a chance the Packers’ decision is swayed by Bisaccia’s belief he can do the same with the younger brother.
Could Rich Bissacia’s experience with Daniel Carlson help Anders Carlson keep his job with the Packers? (Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)
“There’s competitive position battles going on throughout the team and we’re going to have constant conversation about it,” Bisaccia said, “and we’ll sit down collectively and make a decision when the time comes.”
Here are six other things you should know from Thursday’s ninth practice of training camp.
1. Running back Josh Jacobs missed practice with a groin injury but said afterward, “Nothing serious. Just some little tweak. If we were playing today, I’d be playing. It’s nothing like that. I could’ve even practiced today, but it’s more so trying to protect me from doing anything and making it worse. It’s Aug. 1, so we’ve got time to figure it out.” Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper missed practice with a hip injury and cornerback Don Callis with a hamstring injury. Center Josh Myers was absent while dealing with a personal matter, while defensive ends Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, defensive tackle Kenny Clark and left guard Elgton Jenkins got vet rest days.
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2. Rookie third-round running back MarShawn Lloyd flashed Thursday why offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said this offseason that the Packers must get him on the field. He took a run against the starters up the middle and cut left before darting up the sideline for what probably would’ve been a long run and maybe even a touchdown of about 50 yards, earning a roar from the crowd. He also reeled in a pass over the middle from Sean Clifford that was slightly high, showcasing a pass-catching ability the Packers value, too. Lloyd’s shiftiness and burst have been noticeable since the offseason program and his total skillset might be enough to unseat AJ Dillon as the primary backup to Jacobs.
“I want to have that playmaker mentality, being able to make defenders miss,” Lloyd said. “When I’m going, I’m going. That’s something I really want to showcase a lot. Just being able to be out there and put it into fruition and just allow myself to put that on film was pretty cool.”
3. Quarterback Jordan Love had two eye-popping throws as he and the offense continue to find their groove. The first came when Love hit receiver Christian Watson down the seam for about 30 yards with linebacker Quay Walker in tight coverage. The throw resembled Aaron Rodgers’ touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan against the Lions in 2021 when Rodgers fit the ball perfectly in linebacker Alex Anzalone’s blind spot as he trailed Tonyan down the seam. Love then hit wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks for a gain of about 26 yards during the two-minute drill with a perfectly lofted ball to Wicks’ far shoulder down the left sideline with cornerback Eric Stokes in solid coverage. Wicks corralled the ball and touched both feet down before falling out of bounds.
GO DEEPER
Jordan Love finishes strong, displays composure during Packers camp Day 8
“Him putting his trust in me to go up and go get it,” Wicks said. “I knew it was close to the sideline, so I was just trying to get my feet in and attack the ball … getting on the same page with the quarterback, that’s the best thing and just gaining his trust for him to want to throw the ball at all to (me).”
4. Three defensive players who were part-time contributors last season but could be more featured in 2024 are linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, defensive end Lukas Van Ness and defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. Their strong weeks continued Thursday, with Enagbare blowing up a jet sweep to wide receiver Jayden Reed almost immediately after he got the ball and meeting Dillon behind the line of scrimmage on a run. McDuffie and Van Ness featured together on two plays, with the pair combining to stuff a Lloyd run and later both applying pressure on Love (Van Ness after he beat fill-in left guard Royce Newman) during the last practice period.
5. Gary observed practice in a bucket hat while taking a vet rest day, but he still got his cardio in. After defensive end Kenneth Odumegwu got low and breezed past left tackle Kadeem Telfort around the outside for what likely would’ve been a sack of fourth-string quarterback Jacob Eason, Gary high-stepped about 25 yards downfield in celebration. Odumegwu joined the Packers last offseason as part of the International Player Pathway Program and can remain on the team throughout the season because of Green Bay’s IPP roster exemption. The 23-year-old Nigeria native is still relatively new to the game and didn’t know simple football terminology last year, but he took reps with the second-team defense on Thursday and is a favorite among his fellow defensive ends and might be the happiest guy in the locker room.
“Kenneth’s got a cool, unique story,” Gary said. “Every time I see him take strides and leaps, it’s amazing to see. He’s going in his second year playing in the NFL. He skipped high school, he skipped middle school, college. He’s at the top level he can be, so him out there making plays and us celebrating him, that just shows him doing his thing.”
6. Wicks was the receiver du jour on Thursday, not only hauling in the play of the day mentioned above but also making a couple of other important catches one day after being on the receiving end of a touchdown and game-winning two-point conversion during the starters’ two-minute drill on Wednesday. However, Wicks also made noise for a play he didn’t make. With four seconds remaining in the starters’ two-minute drill and the offense needing a touchdown and extra point to tie, Love hit Wicks on a quick out near the goal line. Wicks headed for the front-left pylon, but cornerback Jaire Alexander knocked Wicks to the ground with his shoulder to prevent him from getting in. Alexander’s trash talk ensued and Wicks got up and shoved Alexander, who told Wicks to pipe down. Wicks had to be held back by Reed from escalating the situation.
After some chippy play, LaFleur makes the offense and defense handshake it out after practice. More push-ups for the offense, which Preston Smith is loving counting out. pic.twitter.com/rJzxH6moUk
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 1, 2024
“It wasn’t live, so I wasn’t expecting that,” Wicks said. “But it is what it is.”
As far as training camp scuffles go, this one was quite tame. Expect far more contentious ones when the Packers practice against the Broncos and Ravens later this month, if last year’s two fights with the Bengals and Patriots are any indication of what awaits.
7. If you’re into new uniform looks, the Packers will wear white helmets with their white jerseys and white pants in Week 7 for a noon CT game against the Texans at Lambeau Field. The team is asking fans to dress in white as part of the game’s “winter warning” theme.
Introducing our white helmet.
In real life. @amfam pic.twitter.com/TcHEtDMOf4
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 1, 2024
“It’s clean. Clean,” Jacobs said of the new look. “You can’t really see the details in the helmet from afar, but up close, it’s got little gold flecks and stuff in it. It’s definitely dope.”
(Top photo of Greg Joseph: Mike Roemer / Associated Press)
