Green Bay Packers 2018 roster preview: Mason Crosby
A look ahead to the 2018 season for Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby.
Entering his 12th season with the Green Bay Packers, Mason Crosby has the trust of head coach Mike McCarthy.
It’s rare a team has such consistency at the kicker position for this long. Crosby doesn’t get talked about too much, and for a kicker, that’s generally a good thing.
The Packers will be hoping for more of the same from the 33-year-old in 2018.
2017 stats
Crosby only attempted 19 field goals all season, by far the lowest total of his career. Much of that has to do with the Packers’ offensive struggles without Aaron Rodgers.
Of those 19 attempts, Crosby missed four, giving him a 78.9 conversion percentage, his lowest since 2012. In Crosby’s defense, two of those misses were from over 50 yards, and I’d argue his percentage would have increased had he attempted more field goals.
Crosby converted 33 of 35 extra point attempts.
2017 review
Statistically it may look like Crosby had a bit of a down year, but it’s important to put those numbers into context. While he did miss two of four kicks from the 30-39 yard range, one of his misses was a 57-yard attempt at Heinz Field. For perspective, Chris Boswell tied the longest field goal record at Heinz Field in the same game. That was from 53 yards out. Crosby’s attempt was four yards further away.
It was a strange season for the Packers in general, not just Crosby. A struggling offense led to fewer kick attempts, and a couple of misses hurt his overall numbers.
Odds of making roster: 100 percent
No training camp competition here. Crosby is one of few players guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster.
2018 preview
If Aaron Rodgers plays the entire season, expect Crosby’s numbers to return to normal. In recent years, his field goal percentage has hovered around the mid 80s, and it should return to that area in 2018.
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If rookie punter JK Scott takes on the kickoff duties, which he has experience doing, life would become that much easier for Crosby, who could focus solely on field goals and extra points.