Head Coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers announced that seasoned placekicker Brandon McManus suffered an injury to his kicking leg during Wednesday’s training session, potentially sidelining him for upcoming contests, including Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It presents a significant worry at the moment. We will assess his condition today and tomorrow. We will be prepared with a course of action,” LaFleur stated on Thursday.
The Packers listed McManus on their injury report as having limited participation in Wednesday’s practice due to a right quadriceps ailment. Initially, it was thought to be a consequence of a tackle in Dallas prior to their bye week. LaFleur verified that the injury occurred during Wednesday’s practice.
“It did not stem from those tackles, no,” LaFleur clarified.
McManus has successfully converted 7 of 9 field goal attempts (with one blocked) and 11 of 12 extra point attempts (with one blocked) through the first four games.
Regarding contingency plans, the Packers have rookie Mark McNamee on their practice squad as part of the team’s international player program, although LaFleur did not explicitly confirm that McNamee would be the starting kicker if McManus is unavailable on Sunday. The Irish-born player has yet to participate in a regular season NFL game.
“It is not an ideal circumstance, particularly for a player’s debut. However, Mark has demonstrated promising development,” LaFleur remarked.
McNamee played in one preseason game, converting 2 of 3 extra point attempts and 1 of 2 field goal attempts, with a miss from 39 yards.
The Packers currently have two vacant spots on their 53-man roster and one open spot on the practice squad, suggesting that a signing made on Thursday could provide an alternative at kicker if the team lacks confidence in McNamee.
This article was originally published on Packers Wire: Packers express ‘major concern’ after K Brandon McManus sustains leg injury during practice
