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When Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus popped up on the injury report on Wednesday, the assumption was that his quad injury originated from the tackles he made on the kickoff unit versus the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. That is not the case, according to head coach Matt LaFleur.
In his pre-practice press conference on Thursday, LaFleur stated that McManus was actually injured in practice on Wednesday, which is why he was listed as limited on the injury report. “That’s a major concern right now”, said LaFleur. “We’ll have a plan ready to go.”
The Packers’ only backup kicker right now is practice squader Mark McNamee, an Irish national who is the team’s international exemption. McNamee joined the team during the preseason, after visa issues prevented him from coming to Green Bay sooner. He’s a Gaelic football convert who previously had a stint with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. This is his first season on an American football team.
The Packers currently have two open roster spots available on their 53-man roster, if they want to add another kicker besides McNamee to the kick as McManus’ potential replacement for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Green Bay only has one more practice for the rest of the week, after Thursday’s action, though, so it will need to be a swift addition if the team wants to build any chemistry between a new kicker and the holder and long snapper.
