Tag: Brayden Narveson

Watch: Former Titans QB has comical reaction to Packers’ waiver claim

Talk about excitement: Watch former Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis react to a Green Bay Packers waiver claim.

When the Tennessee Titans traded quarterback Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers, it was viewed as a positive move for Willis. The Packers received a young quarterback with upside that could potentially solidify their back-up role and Willis will have a chance to grow without the pressure he faced in Tennessee.

Transitioning to a new team can be challenging, but in this case, Willis will have a former Titans teammate near him in the locker room. On Wednesday, the Packers were awarded kicker Brayden Narveson off waivers.

While speaking with the media for the first time in Green Bay, Willis found out about the waiver claim and his reaction was priceless.

https://twitter.com/ByRyanWood/status/1828856835425833293

After an impressive preseason, there was talk that the Titans may try to keep the young kicker from NC State on the practice squad, but now, he joins Willis with a chance to build his career with a new team. He will now have a chance to prove himself during the regular season and create more priceless moments for the Packers.

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Packers see Brayden Narveson as ‘really good young kicker’

The Packers knew they needed to get better at kicker, and a summer kicking competition didn’t get it done. Up next is rookie Brayden Narveson, who was claimed off waivers.

After an uninspiring summer kicking competition featuring Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph and three other kickers, the Green Bay Packers scrapped the whole thing and claimed rookie Brayden Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday, one day after final cuts.

Narveson, who will take Joseph’s spot on the 53-man roster, made 6-of-7 field goals and both extra points during the preseason with the Titans.

The Packers liked Narveson coming out of North Carolina State and had an eye on him at final cuts after his impressive preseason.

“Brayden was a kid we liked coming out and then he had an excellent preseason there in Tennessee,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “As it unfolded and he was let go, we just thought it was an opportunity to get a really good young kicker and give him a shot at it.”

Gutekunst admitted he sometimes lacks patience with specialists, but his confidence level in the 2024 Packers was too high to settle for an option lower than the standard at kicker.

Carlson, the incumbent kicker, didn’t take a developmental step this summer, necessitating the change. Joseph, while experienced, wasn’t nearly consistent enough.

“We were going to try to get better there and whether that was Anders, whether that was somebody from outside, it didn’t matter,” Gutekunst said. “But we needed to get better.”

A rookie, Narveson’s first regular season kicks will likely come in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles in a nationally televised game in Brazil. The Packers will only have a few days to measure Narveson’s mental toughness before he’ll be asked to make important kicks.

“He had a great preseason where he hit a 59-yard and a game-winner at the end to handle that kind of pressure. You’re constantly monitoring that kind of stuff,” Gutekunst said.

Against the Seahawks in the preseason, Narveson hit three consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter as the Titans came back to win. His 46-yarder won the game as time expired.

Narveson must now prove he can be the long-term answer at kicker in Green Bay. The Packers are keeping Alex Hale on the practice squad as the team’s international player, but Narveson is the man at kicker now.

“We’re really excited to get Brayden in here to see what he can do. And he’s certainly got a lot of talent, and we’re excited about that,” Gutekunst said. “But at the end of the day, like all the guys who made this team, they have to produce. That’s part of the National Football League.”

Pair of Titans claimed by other teams on waiver wire

Narveson and Haskins will look to latch on with their new teams.

While the Tennessee Titans are busy claiming players off the waiver wire and adding players to the practice squad, two players will not be returning to the organization, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported.

Kicker Brayden Narveson and running back Hassan Haskins were claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.

Narveson impressed as an undrafted free-agent signing, notably connecting on three field goals in the Titans’ 16-15 preseason win against the Seattle Seahawks. Some believed he might challenge 39-year-old Nick Folk for the starting kicker job, but the veteran held onto his spot.

Narveson obviously impressed other clubs, and he will be reunited with quarterback Malik Willis, who was traded to the Packers earlier this week.

As for Haskins, the former fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft has yet to materialize into the player the Titans might have expected coming out of Michigan. The 24-year-old underwhelmed in his tenure, rushing for 93 yards on 25 carries, which all came in 2022, and Haskins missed all of the 2023 season.

Added, he flashed at certain points during the preseason, but not enough, as he was beaten out by Julius Chestnut for the third running back position. Haskins will join the Chargers practice squad, for now, with the hope that he can carve out a role on special teams and go from there.

Packers claim rookie kicker Brayden Narveson off waivers from Titans

The Packers claimed rookie kicker Brayden Narveson off waivers from the Titans on Wednesday.

The Green Bay Packers found their new kicker to start the 2024 season: Rookie Brayden Narveson. The team claimed Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday.

Greg Joseph is expected to be released in a corresponding roster move.

Narveson went undrafted out of NC State this year. During the preseason, Narveson made 6-of-7 field goals — with his only miss coming from 58 yards — and both extra point attempts. Among his six field goals was a go-ahead 59-yarder and game-winning 46-yarder in the fourth quarter vs. the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers cut Anders Carlson and kept Joseph on the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Narveson will take Joseph’s roster spot.

Neither Carlson nor Joseph did enough to win the job during an uninspiring kicking competition at Packers training camp.

Narveson made a 57-yard field goal during his final season at NC State. He connected on 18 of 23 field goals and all 38 extra point attempts in 2023. Over five seasons at a collegiate career, Narveson made all 196 extra point attempts and 71 of 91 field goals.

Here’s Narveson’s 59-yarder vs. the Seahawks:

Could the Titans sneak kicker Brayden Narveson onto the practice squad?

The Titans would love to keep Brayden Narveson, but it could be difficult.

The Tennessee Titans must make some difficult decisions before Tuesday’s deadline to reduce their roster to 53 players.

Will the Titans keep three quarterbacks? If not, that means 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis is likely on his way out.

However, one of Tennessee’s more intriguing decisions is at kicker. Head coach Brian Callahan has indicated that veteran Nick Folk, who turns 40 in November, will be the Titans’ kicker.

In last weekend’s preseason win over the Seahawks, undrafted rookie Brayden Narveson attempted to make Tennessee’s decision a bit more difficult. Not only did Narveson crush a 59-yarder with room to spare in the fourth quarter, but he also kicked the game-winner. With multiple NFL teams looking for a kicker, Narveson could be in demand if the Titans waive him on Tuesday.

What should the Titans do?

Folk should win the job if we go by preseason and training camp. Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tracked the kicking numbers throughout camp, and they favor Folk:

  • Nick Folk: 31-of-33 (93.9%)
  • Brayden Narveson: 21-of-28 (75%)

Tennessee is not expected to be a contender in 2024. Could the Titans be a surprise team? Sure. So, if you’re a team in the first year of a new regime, do you keep a reliable soon-to-be-40-year-old kicker or go with the rookie, who may not be as consistent right now but has more upside?

Folk made 29 of his 30 field goal attempts in his first season with the Titans last year. That type of consistency is hard to pass up. With Folk, you worry about his range. With Narveson, there are no concerns there.

With only 53 roster spots, keeping two kickers is difficult. Narveson would be an ideal candidate for the practice squad, but there’s a good chance another team claims him.

The Titans could also look to trade Folk. A contending team with questions about the kicker would be a good fit for Folk.

Narveson will get one more chance to attempt to change Tennessee’s mind when the Titans face the Saints in Sunday’s preseason finale.

Titans’ kicker Brayden Narveson’s 59-yard field goal almost didn’t happen

What a night for Titans rookie kicker Brayden Narveson.

The Seattle Seahawks led the Tennessee Titans 12-10 in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason game when Titans head coach Brian Callahan faced a decision. Should he kick the field goal — from 59 yards out — or punt it away? It was fourth-and-12 and with around eight minutes remaining in the game.

Callahan chose to kick it, and rookie Brayden Narveson delivered, drilling the 59-yarder with room to spare and giving the Titans a late lead. Tennessee would eventually win the game, 16-15, after Narveson hit another field, this one from 46 yards out as time expired.

After the game, Callahan said the 59-yard field goal almost didn’t happen.

“(Special teams coach Colt Anderson) had a ton of trust in him,” Callahan said of Narveson via Alex Daugherty of the Nashville Tennessean. “He works with him very closely and understands the range that he has. Great call by him to push me to kick the field goal,” Callahan said.

Here’s the 59-yarder:

“A 59-yarder is no small feat,” Callahan said. “That’s a grown man kick in the NFL, not easy to hit. That was great for him to put on tape for himself.”

Callahan, of course, is referring to Narveson putting those types of kicks on tape for the other 31 NFL teams, as the Titans are expected to keep veteran Nick Folk as their kicker.

As for Narveson, he said he was right beside Anderson, urging Callahan to let him kick it.

“I was standing right next to him the whole time,” Narveson said. “He was like, ‘You got it?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I got it,’ so he said, ‘Let’s kick it.’ “

Several teams will possibly be looking for a kicker after next week’s final cutdown day. And arguably, no kicker helped himself more in the preseason than Narveson.

Titans vs. Seahawks Player of the Game: Jaylen Harrell

The Tennessee Titans fell defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 16-15, on Saturday and Jaylen Harrell is the Titans Wire Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Seattle Seahawks 16-15 in the second preseason game of 2024. None of the starters played on Saturday as the Titans coaching staff used the game to further scrutinize its bubble players. This game will help them decide who stays and who goes.

One of the players who is definitely staying is this week’s player of the game: Jaylen Harrell.

Harrell was drafted by the Titans in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft. A 6-foot-4, 247-pound linebacker out of Michigan, Harrell has no other desire than to be on the football field. In an effort to show his coaches and teammates the truth of that, he had a standout game against the Seahawks.

During the game, Harrell recorded three tackles (two solo), two sacks, two quarterback hits and two tackles for a loss. He made his presence known and felt on the field and played a part in the success of the entire defense on various plays.

Earning playing time isn’t something new to Harrell, he appeared in just four games as a freshman at Michigan. As a sophomore he started three of the 14 games he appeared in. His junior year, he started 12 of 13 games. As a senior, he started all 15 games and helped lead his team to its first National Championship in the playoff era.

If Harrell continues to work hard and perform well, he will have a solid NFL career.

Author’s note: Brayden Narveson, rookie kicker out of NC State gets a nod as well. Not only did he sink a 59-yard field goal to keep the Titans in the game, but he kicked the 46-yard game-winning field goal with seconds on the clock.

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