A lot was wrong with the Green Bay Packers last season, so Mason Crosby's struggles flew under the radar. There was dysfunction in the whole organization, and tension between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy that dominated the headlines.
The team had so much drama going on the whole year, that not many seemed to notice Crosby had a down year.
That doesn't mean the front office didn't notice the longtime Packers kicker's struggles, and Crosby could be on the hot seat entering 2019. ESPN recently took a look at one veteran who could be on the chopping block for all 32 NFL teams, and Crosby was the pick for Green Bay.
“No, this isn't like the kicking situation in Chicago, but Crosby at least faces some competition,” Rob Demovsky writes.
Crosby had a couple of awful games, including when he missed five kicks against the Lions. He also missed clutch kicks in games against the Cardinals and Seahawks. Crosby has been the Packers' kicker since 2007, and he hasn't faced much competition since then.
The Packers went out and signed former Penn State and Rams kicker Sam Ficken this offseason, meaning he'll have to compete. Ficken has only appeared in four games for the Rams and hasn't been great, but it's real competition. As Demovsky notes, “it's the first time since the 2013 training camp that the Packers have had a second kicker on their offseason roster.”
Crosby is still only 34, so he should have plenty left in the tank physically.
But even if he does survive to the start of the season, he'll likely be on a short leash if things don't go well.
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