The Packers are once again staring at a kicking situation that refuses to settle down, and this time the early signs in camp aren’t exactly calming anyone’s nerves. Sixth-round rookie Trey Smack has been tasked with bringing some order to the position, but his first few days have already delivered the kind of uneven results Green Bay was hoping to leave behind.
Smack’s path to this point started with a trade up into the sixth round this spring, a clear sign the Packers wanted to attack the problem head-on after cycling through options since Mason Crosby walked after the 2022 season. Anders Carlson got the first shot in 2023, finishing at 81.8 percent on field goals and 87.2 percent on extra points before Green Bay moved on. Brandon McManus steadied one part of the job by missing only one extra point last season, but he still connected on just 80 percent of his field goals.
Now it’s Smack’s turn, and the early returns have been mixed at best. He was inconsistent during OTAs, struggled again in mandatory minicamp, and then opened training camp with a rough showing in the wind.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Smack went 3-for-5 on his first field goal attempts Sunday, hitting from 28, 33 and 42 yards while missing wide left from 38 and 45. Demovsky noted that the 38-yard miss came with a low snap from fill-in long-snapper Cal Adomitis and that Smack was kicking into a decent wind.
That wasn’t the only red flag. Demovsky also pointed to a missed 35-yard attempt on Thursday and said the rookie should be of “ concern” for the Packers in training camp.
Green Bay, meanwhile, is trying to stay patient while Smack works through the adjustment period. The staff is still figuring out where he prefers the ball placed, how he likes the operation timed, and how to get him comfortable in NFL conditions. Smack said he expects some bumps along the way as he tries to smooth everything out before Sundays.
He’s also getting used to the football itself.
“The NFL ball’s a little bit longer than the college ball, so it has a bigger sweet spot,” Smack said, via Sports Illustrated. “With the new technology and how we break down our kicking balls, we want those really crappy balls.”
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Buchanons place in team history has only hardened with time, helped along by his 1993 induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. Other names have worn the number, including AJ Dillon and Mike Michalske, but none have built the same rsum or left the same imprint on the defensive side of the ball. For Packers fans sorting through the best to ever wear No. 28, the answer still comes back to the same familiar name. [Read more 🡒]