Getty Chase McLaughlin #3 of the Cleveland Browns watches his missed field goal during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 20, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Veteran placekicker Mason Crosby has said he plans to be ready to kick again in time for the September 11 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, but the Green Bay Packers’ latest roster workouts suggest they have their doubts.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for August 22, the Packers hosted kickers Matt Ammendola, Cameron Dicker, Chase McLaughlin, Chandler Staton and Parker White for workouts on Monday despite already having a backup kicker in place for Crosby on their training-camp roster.
Crosby has been rehabbing from knee surgery he underwent between OTAs and training camp and is one of the Packers’ two players still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list heading into the final week of the preseason. In the meantime, former USFL standout Ramiz Ahmed has been handling the kicking responsibilities for the Packers after replacing injured rookie Gabe Brkic on the roster on August 14.
The Packers could potentially be looking at other kickers for the purpose of competing with Ahmed in the final week of the preseason, but they are just a week away from having to make their 53-man roster decisions for 2022 and may instead be looking for experienced insurance in the event that Crosby begins the season on the PUP list — which would require him to miss at least four games before returning.
“I think there’s always concern when you’re talking about a kicker that’s coming off an injury like that, but I think we like where he’s at,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said of Crosby’s outlook for Week 1. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but he’s made good progress. He feels confident. We’ll take it one day at a time and see where it’s at.”
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McLaughlin Offers Both Youth & NFL Experience
Normally, the Packers working out a handful of kickers wouldn’t raise any alarm bells about Crosby and his Week 1 status. They routinely hold workouts for rookies and lesser-known backups at all three specialist positions in order to keep their list of available free agents fresh in case of an emergency. Most of the time, though, the kickers they audition don’t have McLaughlin’s blend of youth and experience.
McLaughlin, 26, has played in 31 games over his first three seasons in the NFL despite bouncing between eight different teams. He is also coming off his most extensive stint yet as a 16-game starter for the Cleveland Browns in 2021, going 15-of-21 (71.4%) on field goals and a near-perfect 36-of-37 on extra points. While there have been struggles along the way, he has been serviceable as a short-term solution throughout his career — and has only missed one of his nine attempts from 50 or more yards away.
The Packers also looked at one other non-rookie kicker on Monday with Ammendola. He spent 11 games as the New York Jets’ primary placekicker in 2021 and finished with similar numbers to McLaughlin — 13-of-19 (68.4%) on field goals and 14-of-15 on extra points. The remaining three kickers who worked out for the team were all rookies.
Ahmed Looked Solid in First Showing for Packers
Even if the Packers have their doubts about Crosby being ready for the opener, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be adding an outside name to cover for him. They may just continue to roll with Ahmed if he looks good in the preseason finale.
Ahmed booted through both of his field-goals attempts — including one from 45 yards out — and both of his extra points during his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints last week. He also padded his kicking resume with the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers earlier this year, finishing as the league’s third-highest-scoring kicker with 49 points (14-of-22 on field goals and 7-of-10 on extra points) over 10 games.
A strong finish to the preseason could give the Packers the confidence they need to keep Ahmed around for the regular season, but it will depend heavily on what happens with Crosby between now and then. If Crosby hits his goals and is cleared for Week 1, there won’t be much use for a second kicker except for, maybe, on the practice squad. A less experienced kicker could also suffice if Crosby avoids the regular-season PUP list but still needs to miss a game or two to fully recover.
If the Packers do add Crosby to the regular-season PUP list, however, don’t be surprised if they take a bigger swing at the position to give Rich Bisaccia the best assets they can.
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