Brandon McManus Improves Packers’ Kicking Situation … Right?

With Brayden Narveson ranking second-to-last in field-goal accuracy through Week 6, the Green Bay Packers signed veteran Brandon McManus.

Green Bay Packers place kicker Brayden Narveson (44) reacts after missing a field goal against the Cardinals. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – At the end of training camp, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he needed to be more patient with kickers.

“But, at the same time … I want to make sure we give this team every opportunity to win,” he said. “So, there’s going to be a standard that we’re going to try to reach.”

Brayden Narveson did not reach that standard. Claimed off waivers from the Tennessee Titans after final cuts, Narveson is second-to-last in the NFL in field-goal percentage, his 70.6 percent sandwiched between the Jets’ Greg Zuerlein (66.7 percent) and the man who initially won the Packers’ kicking job, the Giants’ Greg Joseph (72.7 percent).

On Tuesday, a couple days after Narveson missed his league-high fifth field goal this season, Gutekunst signed Brandon McManus.

With 10 years in the NFL, McManus is an established veteran. He’s got a big-time leg and big-time experience; he went 10-for-10 on field goals during the Broncos’ three playoff games en route to winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season.

However, no part of McManus’ track record indicates he will be the savior. They did improve, though.

After playing nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, McManus spent last year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Month for October, when he made all 12 field-goal attempts including four from 50-plus yards.

However, of 33 kickers with at least 10 field-goal attempts, he finished the season ranked 25th with 81.1 percent accuracy on field goals. Last year’s kicker, Anders Carlson, was 24th at 81.8 percent. It goes without saying that kicking in Green Bay is more difficult than kicking in Jacksonville, but McManus missed five at home.

According to Stathead, there are 44 active kickers with at least 10-plus career field-goal attempts. That includes young players like Narveson and veterans such as Mason Crosby, who hasn’t officially retired but probably has been retired by the NFL.

From that group, McManus ranks a mediocre 36th with a career success rate of 81.4 percent on field goals. Carlson and Joseph are tied for 34th (81.8 percent). Lucas Havrisik, who worked out for the team recently, is 40th (75.0 percent). Narveson is 41st (70.6 percent).

So, based solely on track record, the Packers improved on Tuesday but really aren’t any better than what they had with Carlson, who signed to San Francisco’s practice squad on Tuesday. At least that is what a quick look at the numbers suggests.

A deeper look tells a different story.

Last year, McManus went 5-of-10 from 50-plus yards (50.0 percent) and 25-of-27 from inside of 50 yards (92.6 percent). For his career, he’s made 90.8 percent of his field goals from inside of 50. So, degree of difficulty has factored into his overall success rate.

Keep this in mind: Narveson’s 12-of-17 included 5-of-9 from 40 to 49 yards and zero attempts from 50-plus. Last year, Carlson was 4-of-8 from 40 to 49 and 3-of-5 from 50-plus. McManus missed four kicks from that range over the previous six seasons combined. His success rate during that time was 93.1 percent.

“There is a comfort level, obviously, as a decision-maker to put a kicker out there,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said last year. “When you look at some of the top kickers around the league, when you cross the 50, the 45, the 40, you’re in field-goal range.” 

Last year, McManus made all 35 point-after attempts. With a unique approach to kickoffs in which he lines up just a few yards behind the ball, 76 percent of his kickoffs were touchbacks, so he’s got the leg strength to nullify opposing returners.

“I love kickoffs,” McManus said last season. “No one knows where I’m kicking the ball because I’m so close to it. I don’t give away the direction.” 

McManus hasn’t played in a playoff game since helping the Broncos beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl. With Green Bay, he’ll have a chance to return to the playoffs.

He’ll have to do his part, though, after Narveson had key misses in losses to the Eagles and Vikings and Carlson missed a field goal in a three-point playoff loss at San Francisco.

“That was something that attracted me to being here,” he said of signing last year with the Jaguars, who were coming off a playoff berth. “When you go to a winning team with a chance to play in the playoffs, there’s so many one-possession games and a lot of times it comes down to crucial kicks throughout the game, momentum shifts that help the team to win. …

“I thrive under those situations of being in those pressure-packed moments.”

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