The Green Bay Packers signed kicker Matt Ammendola and tight end Austin Allen to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday.
In Ammendola, the Packers will get an experienced kicker who can provide insurance behind Mason Crosby. Ramiz Ahmed, who was elevated from the practice squad last week, was injured during pre-game and didn’t play, necessitating the need to add another kicker.
Over two NFL seasons, Ammendola – an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State – has made 18 of 26 field goals and 19 of 21 extra points while delivering touchbacks on 61.3 percent of his kickoffs. He played two games for the Kansas City Chiefs (Weeks 2-3) and two games for the Arizona Cardinals (Weeks 5-6) this season. In Week 5, he missed what would have been the game-tying field goal from 43 yards out against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last season, Ammendola made 13 of 19 field goals for the New York Jets.
Allen (6-8, 253) is an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska. He spent time on the practice squad of the New York Giants as a rookie last season but was released by the team at final roster cuts in August of this year. During his final collegiate season, Allen caught 38 passes for 602 yards, setting new school records in each category for a tight end, and he was named the Big Ten’s tight end of the year.
At the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine, Allen ran the 40-yard dash in 4.83 seconds, finished the three-cone drill in 7.0 seconds, hit 34″ in the vertical leap and covered 10-1 in the broad jump. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is 8.08 out of 10.0.
