The Green Bay Packers made a change at kicker, releasing Jack Podlesny before claiming James Turner off waivers from the Detroit Lions. Podlesny was given an entire offseason training program to compete with Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, but he did not separate himself. Meanwhile, Turner was fired after the Lions signed All-UFL kicker Jake Bates.
Turner, an undrafted rookie, was the starting kicker for three years at Louisville and one at Michigan. Turner was named to the All-Big Ten in 2023 after making 18 of 21 field goals and 65 of 66 extra points for the national champion Michigan Wolverines.
What do the Packers get in Turner? We asked Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon to provide some insight.
From Risdon: “Very substantial leg. Hit a few FGs over 55 yards, a few of them were definitely good at 65+. He didn’t have much to do in Michigan, so he was an unknown commodity. His accuracy in the spring was quite good, but not as acute in midfield as Michael Badgley. We didn’t see many reps early in the match, but in those his control wasn’t as good as Badgley’s either, but it was pretty close.
Risdon believes Turner has done enough during the offseason training program with the Lions to deserve another chance with a fresh team during training camp, and the Packers look like the first team willing to do so.
During the 2023 season at Michigan, Turner connected on 3 of 4 field goal attempts of at least 50 yards. He also finished his college career with just four extra points in 192 attempts and made at least 85 percent of his field goal attempts in three of his four seasons.
In Green Bay, Turner will have the opportunity to push Carlson and Joseph to kick. Carlson was frustratingly inconsistent to finish his rookie season, prompting the Packers to become more competitive.
Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur know they need to get the kicker position right if the Packers are to be true contenders in 2024. Carlson missed too many game-changing substantial kicks in 2023. By acquiring Turner, the Packers turn over another stone in their search for the best option.
