It can be a lonely and unfair business for kickers in the NFL. Trey Smack is getting a crash course in the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with the job. Yet after a difficult start to training camp, Smack passed his most important test to date with an impressive showing at Green Bay Packers Family Night.
The rookie struggled for consistency during the offseason, and that trend continued into the first week of camp. But in front of an excited Lambeau Field crowd and with thousands of Packers fans watching from home, it would've been easy for Smack to fold under the pressure.
He did the opposite.
Smack set the tone in warm-ups. Per Mike Spofford of Packers.com, the rookie nailed a 62-yard field goal that would've been good from further out. Perhaps that settled Smack's nerves, because he was almost perfect from that point, booting six of his seven kicks through the uprights, with only one miss from 52 yards.
Pressure isn't new to him. He dealt with plenty of that during his three seasons in Florida. And he lived up to his name, smacking five of his six attempts of 50-plus yards in 2025. That's the kicker the Packers want to see.
His booming leg can make him an asset when temperatures freeze at Lambeau Field. He gave fans a taste of the kicker he can become on Friday night.
Trey Smack remains a work in progress, but he took an important step at Family Night
It's momentum. Hopefully, a turning point.
This practice could help Smack more than any other. It couldn't have been easy walking into Lambeau Field knowing how badly he needed a good performance. Yet the pressure didn't bother him.
It's nothing compared to the intensity that will come with regular-season football, especially when his right boot could decide a game. One good practice also doesn't reverse the concerning moments that came before it.
Follow along with the latest takeaways from Packers Family Night and training camp here
But it's a platform to build upon. Smack has the technical ability to make any kick, and he undoubtedly has the power to clear the uprights from any distance. Put him in the parking lot, and Smack could boot one through with room to spare.
So much of a kicker's performance comes down to confidence and handling pressure. Smack's wobbled in that department before now, especially in Green Bay's windy conditions.
The Wisconsin weather will become relentless once temperatures drop, and the pressure will crank up as the playoff race closes in, but Smack can draw from this moment at Family Night.
His work is just beginning, but this is exactly what the sixth-round pick needed. Badly. Hopefully, this performance will ignite the confidence and momentum he needs to put the questions about his future to bed once and for all.
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