It’s been a while but the Packers have a kicker they can count on.
Brandon McManus, who was brought in last year to do just that, has thrived this training camp.
Through nine practice, including Family Night, the veteran kicker has only missed 1 field goal.
If you want to be exact, McManus is 36-37 on field goals.
For the Packers this is something they have been missing since Mason Crosby left the team in early 2023.
Since then the Packers have gone through a whose who of kickers.
Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph, Brayden Narveson.
All of them failed to give the Packers what they needed in the kicking game.
But once McManus come to Green Bay at mid-season those issues seem to have gone away.
Consistency at Kicker
McManus give the Packers someone they can trust to make the kicks when it matters the most.
Last season McManus connected on 21 of 23 field goals and all 31 extra points in 12 games.
During the regular season McManus only missed one field goal giving him a 95.2% of his field goals made.
To put that in perspective that is the best percentage for the 11 year veteran and the 2nd best percentage behind Mason Crosby.
It was a relief for the Packers who has kicking issues the season before.
Carlson missed more kicks (11) than anyone in football in 2023.
Narveson wasn’t any better with Carlson being 12-of-17 on field goals (70.6%).
McManus’s debut was nothing short of specular ether.
He began his time in Green Bay with two game winning kicks against the Texans and Jaguars.
His performance made McManus a priority to sign during the offseason.
The team signed him to a three-year, $15.3 million deal that includes $5 million in guaranteed money.
Conclusion
With McManus at kicker, the Packers have stability at a position that they have struggled with for a couple of years.
While he may be the oldest player on the team he maybe the most impactful person on the team.
We’ve seen teams struggle with extra points recently as the extra point was moved back further.
McManus can make the extra point and long field goals giving the Packers an advantage.
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