The Green Bay Packers have several competitions for starting jobs going on at training camp. After the past two weeks, though, there may be a hidden one that most fans have not yet noticed.
During the Packers' 33-13 preseason victory over the Denver Broncos this past week, rookie kicker Trey Smack was once again perfect. The young kicker hit all four of his field goals to bring him to a perfect 7-for-7 (8-for-8 if you count a kick that was nullified after a penalty) in preseason. Most importantly, Smack has done all of that working with a long snapper who isn't the Packers' usual go-to guy, and thus is where the competition comes in.
Since 2023, the Packers have relied on Matt Orzech for longs napping duties. The Super Bowl winning special team player had previously played with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Los Angeles Rams prior to joining the Packers. The team is so committed to Orzech that last year, they signed him to a three-year, $4.8 million extension. Heading into training camp, it was essentially a given that Orzech would be the team's long snapper.
The Packers have a long snapper battle that they have to figure out
However, Orzech began training camp on the PUP list with a calf injury. In his stead, the Packers signed Cal Adomitis, a long snapper who previously played for the Bengals from 2022-24, and then the Eagles for nine games last year, before joining the Pittsburgh Steeler's practice squad. At the time of his signing, Adomitis was viewed mostly as a warm seat for Orzech, who would eventually come back and replace him as the starter. Fast forward a few weeks, though, and now everything is less certain.
Orzech has still yet to practice for the Packers during their training camp sessions. Adomitis, on the other hand, has clearly developed some sort of chemistry with Trey Smack, as the pair, along with punter Daniel Whelan serving as holder, are perfect in their operations during actual games. Kicking in the NFL, unlike many other positions in the sport, seem to operate a lot more on feel and vibes more than anything. Even though Orzech is the de facto starter, would the Packers really mess with the connection and habits Adomitis and Smack have built?
It seems like a tough decision to make for the team. However, digging deeper into the stats, it might not be so. Orzech does have a veteran presence on the team and legitimate success in his past NFL career, but may be declining a bit.
According to grades from PFF (as accurate as you may want to believe PFF long snapping grades may be), Orzech has consistently ranked in the bottom portion of the league during his tenure with the Packers. He's also had his fair share of rough snaps with the Packers, including a particularly bad one in the team's 2024 win over the Houston Texans, which would've cost them the game had Whelan not saved it to keep the game-winning field goal possible.
A better view of how Daniel Whelan saved the game for the #Packers. Dude is such a stud! #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/KGu6t2j7Fh
— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) October 21, 2024
While Adomitis has not exactly been a stud long snapper, the fact that he is currently the hot hand could play a big factor. Another issue compounding this is the money one. Orzech, despite being on a lower contract, would actually accrue some dead cap for the Packers if he was cut. It's not a lot (just $1 million), but any amount of dead cap for a long snapper may be too much for an NFL team to genuinely consider.
To Adomitis' credit, he's been open about the fact that he wants to make this a competition. “I certainly believe there’s a chance,” Adomitis said after his first practice back in July (via Sports Illustrated). “I certainly believe if I play the way I’m capable of playing, then I give them a tough decision, which is my goal...I certainly do believe in my ability to come in and compete, and in a week or two, maybe make the special teams staff have to make a difficult decision.”
Orzech also hasn't really gotten a fair shake in this, as he's been hurt throughout all of camp and unable to really build any connection with Smack. However, with just over two weeks left of training camp and preseason, there might not be enough time to do so, and the Packers may have to make a tough decision regarding who they keep.
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