Mason Crosby has been on the PUP list since training camp began after undergoing minor knee surgery in the offseason.
When meeting with reporters on Saturday, head coach Matt LaFleur said that the team has not decided if Crosby would remain on the PUP list or come off prior to the Tuesday afternoon deadline when 53-man rosters have to be set.
If Crosby begins on the PUP list, he will miss the first four games of the season.
Crosby is coming off a down 2021 season in which he missed nine field goal attempts—although, between the poor blocking, snaps, and holds, not every miss falls squarely on his shoulders.
Hopefully, with improved special teams play overall, we see an improved version of Crosby.
Currently in Crosby’s place is Ramiz Ahmed, who was signed following the first preseason game after the team released Gabe Brkic.
Ahmed went undrafted out of Nevada in 2019 and spent time with Chicago during their 2020 training camp, but he has no NFL experience. Ahmed most recently spent time in the USFL, where he made 14 of 22 attempts, which included a 61-yarder.
Since joining the Packers, Ahmed has been a steady presence both in games as well as in practice. However, with that said, there are obvious risks that come with having to lean heavily on an inexperienced kicker in the regular season.
Although LaFleur isn’t sure if Crosby will be available for Week 1, Crosby mentioned earlier in the week that still is the goal.
“As of right now, this is six weeks out so that was kind of the goal was to be progressing and kicking more at this point,” Crosby said via Packers.com. “I hit a set inside today and felt really good. I’m just going to keep building off that. The goal is obviously to be full-go and ready to go by Week 1.”
The Packers open up the regular season on the road against Minnesota. With question marks still surrounding the special teams unit as a whole, having Crosby available will add some needed stability.
