Anyone still wondering about the Green Bay Packers’ kicker situation can stop. Trey Smack is officially their guy for the regular season, and honestly, it looks like this was the plan from day one. The Packers have been sending this message with practically every move they’ve made, dating back to last season and especially since they traded up in the draft to snag Smack. He’s got the job, and barring injury or a truly insane collapse in camp, he’s keeping it.
The Competition Was Never Real
Remember Lucas Havrisik? He was around and kicking for the Packers while Brandon McManus recovered from an injury. Havrisik even had a record-setting performance in Arizona, but get this: he couldn’t hang onto the job when McManus came back. Why? Because when called upon to kick in practice, he just couldn’t reliably deliver. That’s a huge tell. If he couldn’t beat an injured, underperforming Brandon McManus, what shot did he ever really have against a guy the team clearly invested in like Trey Smack, their draft pick? It’s pretty strong evidence that Havrisik was never serious competition for the rookie.
Krieg’s Blink-And-You-Miss-It Stint
Then, we saw the quick entry and even quicker exit of Lenny Krieg. Krieg, a potential International Player Pathway (IPP) option thanks to his German roots, put up a solid performance at the 2025 NFL Combine. He’d been kicking around the Falcons and Jets organizations for over a year, so he wasn’t some unknown. The Packers signed him after Havrisik left, only to cut him less than two full days later. Did he even attempt a kick in Green Bay? If he did, it wasn’t noteworthy enough to keep him on the roster. This swift move, signing and then instantly cutting Krieg, screams one thing: they are rock solid on Smack.
It seems like there’s a pretty obvious plan here. Smack is going to be the kicker, but the Packers are either trying to avoid overworking him or developing their “ready sheet” in case they need to make a call at some point this season. They want to be up to date on potential alternate kickers not because they don’t believe in Smack, but because even kickers need a break in camp sometimes, and you can’t go into a season blind. The Packers almost always have a couple of kickers around anyway. With up to 91 players allowed on the preseason roster, including an IPP option, it makes sense to use one of those spots for a kicker, especially since the IPP exemption opens the door without taking up a more important developmental roster spot.
So, the Packers’ kicker puzzle? Solved. Trey Smack is the man, and they’ve made it absolutely undeniable. Now, with the regular season looming, the real test begins for the rookie. Can he live up to the absolute confidence the team has shown in him?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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