The Green Bay Packers have made an emergency signing to their 53-man roster with primary placekicker Brandon McManus nursing an injury heading into Sunday’s road game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Packers signed placekicker Lucas Havrisik to their 53-man roster on Saturday, which provided them with a backup plan with McManus — their starter — on the injury report with a right quadriceps injury.
The Packers limited McManus in all three practices this week with a quad injury that head coach Matt LaFleur defined as a “major concern” heading into the matchup with the Bengals. McManus, however, has downplayed concerns about his availability despite the team listing him as questionable to play in the final injury report.
“It’s very similar to my injury that I had in ’22,” McManus said Thursday. “Had a pretty good game — two 50-yarders and a 40-yarder in that. So like I said, I plan on playing.”
Unfortunately, McManus’ plans to play fell through, as the Packers ruled him out about 90 minutes before kickoff when they announced their inactives for Week 6’s matchup.
The Packers will now trust Havrisik — who has not kicked in the NFL since 2023 — as their primary kicker against the Bengals when they kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET today.
Lucas Havrisik Led the UFL in Field Goals in 2025
Havrisik is an unexpected choice for the Packers. Not only has he not kicked for an NFL team since he went 15-of-20 on field goals for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, but the Packers have also been developing another kicker — rookie Mark McNamee — on their practice squad for such an occasion, making Havrisik’s signing feel like a sharp turn.
That said, Havrisik is coming off a strong campaign for the UFL’s Dallas Renegades. He made a league-high 22 of his 25 field goals during the 2025 season for the Renegades, finishing just ahead of St. Louis Battlehawks kicker Rodrigo Blankenship at 66 points. He also made a season-long field goal of 54 yards, proving his leg has got the power.
Now, the Packers must hope that Havrisik can carry his UFL momentum with him into their matchup with the Bengals. With McManus ruled out, Havrisik will kick in his first NFL game since his last start with the Rams on New Year’s Eve in 2023.
Packers Also Make 2 Roster Changes to Practice Squad
The Packers also made a few changes to their practice squad before Sunday’s game.
On Saturday, the Packers also released defensive lineman Deslin Alexandre from their practice squad and re-signed offensive lineman Brant Banks in a corresponding move.
Banks — an undrafted rookie — had helped reinforce the Packers’ offensive line earlier in the regular season, earning a game-day elevation in Week 2 before signing outright to the 53-man roster in Week 3. The Packers waived him during their bye week, though, at which point the Tennessee Titans had claimed him for themselves off the waivers.
Fortunately for the Packers, the Titans also waived Banks from their active roster after only a week, giving them an opportunity to re-sign him to their practice squad — which they had likely intended to do before the Titans claimed him off waivers last week.
Packers Make Emergency Signing, Cut DL Before Bengals Kickoff