Anders Carlson might be the most frustrating player on the Green Bay Packers' roster.
The second-year kicker has generally shown improved consistency from his up-and-down rookie season, but the avoidable errors are still happening too frequently.
Take Saturday's preseason finale as the perfect example. After a solid week of practice, Carlson kicked things off by converting a 54-yard field goal. At this point, it felt like he had done enough to beat veteran Greg Joseph for the job. However, we saw the worst of Carlson late in the game, as he missed a simple 32-yard attempt.
Packer Report's Andy Herman has tracked every kick from training camp and the preseason. According to his numbers, Carlson has the slight edge, finishing 62/76 (81.6 percent) compared to Joseph's 60/76 (78.9 percent). Only two kicks separate them.
Carlson is the favorite, but the Packers will have to live with his frustrating mistakes.
Head coach Matt LaFleur left the door open for the possibility of signing a veteran, leading many fans to call for a Mason Crosby reunion.
Packers shouldn't bring back Mason Crosby for 2024 season
We all love Mason Crosby. He is the greatest kicker in Packers history and an incredible person. However, bringing him back is not the solution to Green Bay's kicking woes.
Turn on X (formerly Twitter) and search his name, and you'll find many tweets like this one:
The love for Crosby is understandable, but he wouldn't fix the problem. The veteran turns 40 next month and hasn't kicked consistently since the 2022 season, when he made 86.2 percent of his kicks. The year before, he managed only 73.5 percent.
Crosby spent time with the New York Giants late last season but missed two field goals and one extra point in three games. He converted a 52-yarder on his Giants debut but missed kicks from 45 and 54 yards in the following two contests.
Crosby's career field-goal percentage is 81.3. Carlson converted 81.8 percent last season. Crosby was a consistent kicker during his time in Green Bay and produced many legendary moments, but he didn't post elite numbers year in, year out.
He's about to turn 40 and likely wouldn't produce the consistency we were used to seeing while he kicked for the Packers. Whether it's Carlson, Joseph, or a veteran, the Packers have a kicking problem. Crosby isn't the solution.
