GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers went young at quarterback, receiver and tight end with great results. They went young on special teams with less-than-great results.
Kicker Anders Carlson endured a tough rookie season. There were three certainties in life: death, taxes and a missed field goal or extra point. Punter Daniel Whelan, however, finished his debut season on a strong note.
In the 11th and final installment of our positional report cards, here are our grades of the specialists.
Anders Carlson
2023 cap: $789,194. Position rank: 28th among kickers, according to OverTheCap.com .
The Packers used a sixth-round pick on Carlson, making him the third and final kicker selected. The Packers preach the importance of competition. And yet, Carlson went through training camp without facing even token competition. The Packers didn’t stash one on the practice squad to push him during the regular season, either. It was all so nonsensical, and it – quite predictably – came back to bite the Packers when he missed a field goal in a three-point loss to the 49ers in the playoffs.