7:11pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Packers have gone forward and signed the veteran kicker, McManus. In order to make room on the roster, Green Bay has officially waived the undrafted rookie, Narveson, after his five missed kicks in the first six games of his NFL career, per Tom Peliserro of NFL Network.
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adds that the Packers don’t intend to release practice squad kicker Alex Hale. This is a likely indication that Narveson will not be expected to return as a practice squad signee. Also an undrafted rookie, Hale may have gotten the nod due to his Australian roots which qualify him for an international roster exemption, allowing him not to count toward the team’s 16-man limit on the practice squad.
4:20pm: Kicker issues have gripped the Packers for a bit now, with the team unable to find a stable option following Mason Crosby‘s exit. As a result of their most recent kicker’s struggles, Brandon McManus is back on the NFL radar.
Brayden Narveson has missed five field goals this season, and while the rookie UDFA was on Green Bay’s radar while it waged an Anders Carlson–Greg Joseph offseason competition, the team’s support looks to be wavering. McManus auditioned for the Packers on Tuesday, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.
The NFL recently revealed McManus would not be suspended for his role in an alleged sexual assault that occurred on a plane last season while he was a member of the Jaguars. A civil suit against the veteran kicker is on going, but he is back under consideration to return to the league soon after the NFL’s statement.
Green Bay added Narveson via waivers from Tennessee, doing so after cutting both Joseph and Carlson. The rookie swooped in to win a competition he was not part of, with the Packers having eyed him for a bit before that transaction. But Narveson’s miss count ballooned from three to five during the Pack’s win over the Cardinals; Narveson has gotten there without attempting a 50-plus-yard try.
McManus signed a one-year, $3.6MM deal with the Commanders in March, but the team dropped him after the civil suit emerged. The Broncos had cut McManus after nine seasons, leading to the Jaguars agreement. Last season, McManus made 81.1% of his field goal tries (30-for-37, with five of the misses from beyond 50 yards) and did not miss an extra point. Narveson has not missed a PAT, either, but the Packers appear close to ending this experiment.
McManus, 33, denied the two flight attendants’ allegations and is aiming to resume his career. The Commanders paid the 10-year veteran his full $1.5MM signing bonus. This audition comes after the Packers worked out Chad Ryland and Lucas Havrisik earlier this month.
Hopefully he doesn’t ask for extra bags of peanuts in the flight over.
Do the Packers cheerleaders have insurance against gropers?
The Packers are one of eight teams that do not have cheerleaders.
There are that many? I knew there were a handful… OK then.
I thought they had brought them back at some point? I swore I remember seeing their bland plain uniforms reminding me of High school
They probably were high school cheerleaders. They were inviting H.S. or college squads to each home game. I haven’t noticed lately if they still do it or not.
Yea I’d say it was maybe 3 to 5 years ago
Pre-Covid maybe. That might have put an end to it.
And when asked about the workout, Mattie LaFlower said ‘I have every confidence in Narveson. Wouldn’t hesitate to send him out for a high pressure kick..’
Imagine believing coaches ever provide the rubes who listen to them anything but fluff to satisfy league requirements.
That’s what I’d expect the coach to say. Imagine the coach saying, “Well, I don’t have a lot of confidence in him right now. He really needs to prove to me that we can send him out there for a high pressure kick. Guess we will see.”
Yeah, but maybe not while you’re hosting a guy to potentially replace him?
I can see what you are saying. I guess I just never took these soundbites to heart.
I don’t either. My initial comment wasn’t meant to be taken literally.
Well. They signed him. Just has to be not sh*tty to be an improvement. Sounds like the lawsuit against him was without merit. No discipline from the NFL coming.
McManus has become somewhat unreliable in recent years – both on the field and off of it…
So far, he’s usually been reliable at Mile High, but not so much when he is a mile high…