Packers to work out 5 kickers before cut deadline

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Green Bay Packers will soon work out kickers Cameron Dicker, Chandler Slaton, Matt Ammendola and Parker White. This is a bit of a concerning sign, as incumbent kicker Mason Crosby (knee) has still yet to be activated from the physically unable to perform list this summer. In his absence, Crosby was first replaced by Gabe Brkic, who was waived with an injury designation for a hamstring injury, and later Ramiz Ahmed, who was signed last week and played against the New Orleans Saints.

Is Crosby going to be able to play Week 1? If he is, are these players going to be brought in as practice squad stashes for Covid insurance? Why isn’t the team settled at the position after Ahmed’s performance against the Saints? There are a lot of questions yet to be answered at the placekicker position.

Two of the kickers who are going to be worked out, Dicker and Ammendola, actually have some history as punters, which could signal that the team could looking to cross-train a practice-squadder in case either Crosby or punter Pat O’Donnell go down with a mid-week injury or illness in 2022. Dicker, who was invited to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine as a kicker, actually was fighting for a roster spot as a punter with the Los Angeles Rams this summer. Ammendola, who was cut by the New York Jets in March, went 13-of-19 on field goals as a rookie last season and also punted six times. Ammendola was recently worked out by the Dallas Cowboys, who also brought in J.J. Molson — the Packers’ practice squad specialist last season.

Like Dicker, Staton and White are also rookie kickers. Staton finished his college football career at Appalachian State with 464 points, the fifth-most all-time in FBS history. White, who played at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, is South Carolina’s all-time leader in career points.

Currently, the Packers have two open roster spots after Sunday’s releases of offensive lineman Ty Clary and Chauncey Manac. If they can make some signings quickly, the team can practice with 85 players on Tuesday before the NFL-mandated cutdowns to 80-man rosters at the end of the league day.

Two weeks ago, Green Bay worked out 17 players, including Ahmed, running back Dexter Williams and safety Micah Abernathy — players who were all later signed by the team. Eight of those players were specialists, including kickers Austin MacGinnis and Aldrick Rosas who remain unsigned.

Update:

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky has reported that in addition to the previously reported specialists, the team also worked out Chase McLaughlin on Monday. McLaughlin has played for eight teams since 2019, when he entered the league as an undrafted free agent. He has gone 37-of-49 on field goals during regular season action in the NFL.

Demovsky also listed Dicker as a punter, the position he was competing for a job for with the Rams. Again, Dicker has played both punter and kicker in the recent past.