Packers make a surprising roster move ahead of cutdown day

Roster cuts are under a week away, and the Green Bay Packers made a splash Wednesday afternoon. They have released defensive end Kenneth Odumegwu, changing their International Player Pathway roster exemption to kicker Alex Hale.

Odumegwu came to the Packers last season from Nigeria. Despite having never played football before, with a 6-foot-6 frame and weighing in at 259 pounds, it was worth a try. He had previously played soccer and basketball before being noticed by African football scouts on behalf of former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

From there, he was selected to the NFL Africa Touchdown Camp in Ghana, winning defensive MVP. He would go on to a combine for international players in London and attend the University of South Florida's Pro Day.

Odumegwu was selected by the Packers in the 2023 International Player Pathway Program and featured in last season's preseason opener against Cincinnati, playing 14 snaps and earning a game ball. He then spent the rest of the season on the practice squad, working on learning the game. This season, he registered six snaps against Cleveland and five snaps against Denver, recording one tackle.

Most assumed that Odumegwu would be the roster exemption once again, growing considerably in his skill set. Instead, Green Bay chooses to move on, likely due to the depth at the position for guys already on the roster, and address the kicking battle in camp.

Packers surprisingly replace Kenneth Odumegwu with Alex Hale

NFL veteran Greg Joseph and Anders Carlson seemingly were in a head-to-head battle for the kicking position. Carlson started slow, and Joseph was trending towards stealing the job. The team brought in Australian native Alex Hale, who played college ball at Oklahoma State, early into camp.

It has been an ugly battle so far, with neither established NFL player making any ground. As hot as Joseph started out, he has been cold since the preseason opener against Cleveland. Per Packer Report's Andy Herman, Carlson is 53/66 in camp, Joseph is 53/68, and Hale 14/20, including going 4/6 on Tuesday.

While Carlson is now likely going to retain his job, Hale will likely be on the practice squad, assuming he doesn't outright win the job. It's a creative way for the Packers to keep Hale on the team in the event of injury or Carlson's continued struggles.

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