Aaron Jones raves about new Packers kicker

Green Bay Packers Running Back Praises New Kicker Anders Carlson

This week, the Packers held mandatory minicamp. For the first time, players got to see their new kicker in action. Carlson made five of six field goals on Tuesday, drilling one from 56 yards away. His lone miss was a 44-yard attempt that went wide right.

Following practice, Jones was asked about his reaction to the new kicker’s performance. He had nothing but great things to say and revealed what he said to fellow running back AJ Dillon while they were watching:

“Man, this guy can kick with some power, and he’s a big guy, too. I believe he can hit [a] 60 [yard field goal], easy… You can ask [running back] AJ [Dillon]… When he [Carlson] was hitting him, I was over there cheering, like ‘Aaahhh!’… I’m excited to see him.”

Now, it is just one practice, and there is a big difference between making field goals in practice and making them in a game. However, the questions surrounding Carlson had to do with his injury history and if his leg would be strong enough to compete in the NFL. While he missed from 44 yards, he made his last three attempts, and the last two of those came from 50+ yards. If he can maintain that kind of accuracy in the regular season, Green Bay will not miss a beat in the kicking game.

In fact, Carlson’s leg strength may even mean the special teams, which was ironically the strongest unit last season, is even better. Late in the season, there was discussion that Crosby may be removed from the kickoff unit due to his inability to get touchbacks. He simply has lost some strength in his leg after a long 16-year career. If Carlson is as strong as Jones says he is, that will not be an issue this season. Pinning opposing offenses back on the 25-yard line will help the defense immensely.