Tag: James Turner

Packers release James Turner, leaving kicking competition to Anders Carlson vs. Greg Joseph

The Packers kicker competition is down to Anders Carlson, the incumbent, vs. Greg Joseph, the veteran challenger.

The Green Bay Packers released rookie kicker James Turner before Tuesday’s practice, reducing the kicking competition to Anders Carlson vs. Greg Joseph entering Week 2 of Packers training camp.

Turner, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan, had fallen behind in the kicking competition, at least in terms of on-field results. He was 13-of-19 on live field goals during training camp, while Carlson, the incumbent, and Joseph, the veteran challenger, were both 16-of-18 through the first six practices.

The Packers claimed Turner off waivers from the Detroit Lions on June 24.

Coach Matt LaFleur had been rotating kickers during training camp. Turner was given one day, while Carlson and Joseph typically took the next. With only two kickers on the roster, LaFleur and Rich Bisaccia may have an easier time giving Carlson and Joseph the necessary on-field opportunities. At the very least, they’ll be able to rotate days.

Bisaccia said Monday that the kicking competition was still in its early stages, but it was clear Turner had fallen behind.

Turner was an All-Big Ten pick for Michigan in 2023. He made 18 of 21 kicks and 65 of 66 extra points for the national champions. Turner transferred to Michigan after four seasons at Louisville.

The Packers made six roster moves on Tuesday. In addition to Turner, the Packers also released cornerback Zyon Gilbert and fullback Henry Pearson. The team signed cornerbacks Don Callis and LJ Smith and long snapper Peter Bowden.

Rookie kicker James Turner up first on Day 1 of Packers training camp

James Turner went 4-for-6 kicking field goals during the first day of Packers training camp.

On the first day of Green Bay Packers training camp, incumbent kicker Anders Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph took a backseat to rookie newcomer James Turner.

Claimed off waivers from the Detroit Lions last month, Turner was up first to kick on Monday. Neither Carlson nor Joseph kicked during the opening practice, but Turner went 4-for-6 on field goals, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. He missed from 43 yards and 46 yards, both wide right. Turner made kicks from 33, 38, 41 and 44 yards, per Bill Huber of SI. Given two three-kick opportunities, Turner went 2-for-3 each time.

Instead of alternating during practices, it appears the Packers will give each of their three kickers individual days to kick in live team sessions. Carlson, who made 27 of 33 field goals and 34 of 39 extra points as a rookie for the Packers last season, could get the kicks Tuesday. Or maybe it’ll be Joseph, who made 82.2 percent of his field goals and 90.3 percent of his extra points over three years as the Vikings kicker.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said the Packers have the roster flexibility to keep three kickers during training camp, and there’s no rush to decide a winner in the competition.

“As long as it takes,” Gutekunst said. “We’ll keep churning it and moving down that road until somebody wins.”

Turner went undrafted out of Michigan this year. He spent most of the offseason with the Lions, who waived him after signing All-UFL kicker Jakes Bates in June.

Packers claim K James Turner off waivers

The Green Bay Packers claimed kicker James Turner off waivers from the Detroit Lions

A day after officially being waived by the Detroit Lions, kicker James Turner is back in the NFC North. The undrafted rookie kicker from Michigan was claimed off waivers from the Lions by the division rival Green Bay Packers.

Detroit parted ways with Turner after signing UFL standout Jake Bates. Turner had consistently displayed a booming leg throughout OTAs and minicamp, making several field goal attempts from beyond 58 yards at the Lions outdoor training facility.

However, the addition of Bates and the visibly improved range of incumbent Lions kicker Michael Badgley made Turner expendable. Now he will battle for a spot to get payback on Detroit.

Packers claim K James Turner off waivers from Lions

The Packers claimed James Turner off of waivers from the Lions. He’ll be competition for Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph.

One day after releasing kicker Jack Podlesny to trim the kicking competition to just two, the Green Bay Packers claimed kicker James Turner off waivers from the Detroit Lions, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Turner was released by the Lions after the team signed All-UFL kicker Jake Bates to a two-year deal.

In Green Bay, Turner will join a kicking competition featuring 2023 draft pick Anders Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph.

Turner was an All-Big Ten pick for the national champion Michigan Wolverines in 2023. He transferred to Michigan after four seasons at Louisville.

At Michigan, Turner connected on 18-of-21 field goals and set the school record for extra points converted in a single season (65). At Louisville, he hit 47-of-59 field goals and 124-of-127 extra points.

For his career, Turner was 4-of-10 on kicks of at least 50 yards, but he was 3-of-4 in 2023. On kicks of 40 or more yards, Turner was only 21-of-35.

Overall, Turner hit at least 85 percent of his field goals during three of his four seasons as the primary kicker. He also missed only four extra points.

Despite rostering three kickers, the Packers still have one open roster spot.

Like all waiver claims, Turner will have to pass a physical before he’s officially added to the Packers roster.

Michael Badgley puts his best leg forward in Lions OTAs

Badgley was money on several long FG attempts in Thursday’s practice, including a 61-yarder that had room to spare

Michael Badgley is back as the Detroit Lions kicker. That’s a status that many fans aren’t happy about, even after Badgley was perfect on field goals in his four regular-season games and three postseason games in 2023.

Badgley shut down any questions about his leg strength with a boomer of a day at Lions OTAs on Thursday. On a cloudless 70-degree day with a light cross breeze, Badgley nailed eight attempts in a row from at least 53 yards. He concluded with a 61-yard success from the right hash mark that would have been good from at least 2-3 more yards.

The day didn’t start great for Badgley. He missed his first attempt from 48 yards wide right, and also yanked a 50-yarder to almost the exact same spot–about 3 ball lengths wide right. After that, Badgley did not miss on his final 18 (by my count) attempts from ranges of 45 and beyond.

Undrafted rookie James Turner wasn’t as successful, though he did show a very strong leg in drilling a 55-yarder right down the middle. He missed two of three at one point, all from 48-52 yards.

It’s worth noting the long snapper battle has some heat. Veteran Scott Daly had poor snaps on one of Badgley’s misses, and holder Jack Fox really had to work on a couple other ones to get it set. UDFA Hogan Hatten didn’t get many reps but was perfect on his FG snaps.

Michigan football bolsters special teams with transfer portal commitment

#Michigan may have answered one of its bigger personnel questions. #GoBlue

Michigan football is entering 2023 without a lot of questions across the roster. With the fifth-most returning production, nearly every position group has good depth and has played the game at a high-level.

But with some of the personnel losses, the Wolverines have a handful of questions.

As Michigan works to figure out its second cornerback situation opposite Will Johnson, perhaps the other big question mark is who will replace Jake Moody’s production at kicker? While Tommy Doman, entering his third year, is a strong candidate, he’s primarily a punter.

The maize and blue appear to have answered that question on Friday, with the announcement that James Turner, the Louisville kicker, has committed to Michigan football via the transfer portal.

In 2022, Turner hit 90.9% of his field goal attempts and 97.4% of his extra points. His long last year was 48, but he hit a 50-yarder in 2020. He missed just two field goal attempts in 2020 and 2022, but struggled, missing eight of 22 attempts in 2021.

Though he doesn’t have Moody’s range, he provides the maize and blue with another option on special teams. And, he’s also returning home, as Turner hails originally from neighboring Saline, Michigan.

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Notre Dame vs. Louisville: Second-Quarter Analysis

Mike Tirico said it best on the NBC broadcast: “One team goes [into halftime] with the lead, the other goes in feeling good.”

Mike Tirico said it best on the NBC broadcast: “One team goes [into halftime] with the lead, the other goes in feeling good.”

For the second quarter in a row, Notre Dame is having trouble shaking off Louisville’s defense. Like the first 15 minutes, the offense kept the ball for a long time and had little to show for it. But also just like last time, they’ll gladly take a 6-0 lead as the clock hits zero. Still, Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees will have one heck of a time talking to their guys.

The saving grace is that the Irish remained dominant on defense, so it’s not like Louisville has had much success with the ball either. The Cardinals also have hurt themselves with penalties. Without those, we could be talking about a different game right now. Credit also goes to punter Ryan Harwell for giving the Irish tough field position whenever his own offense stalled out.

The big issue for Notre Dame seems to be the Cardinals’ secondary. On several occasions, the Irish’s receivers have tried to get open, but to no avail. That’s made life more difficult for Ian Book, who’s had to wait so long to make decisions that he finds himself getting wrapped up. A lot of tactical adjustments will need to be made, especially after a failed fake field goal punctuated a 14-play drive that lasted nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, which would have led to the Cardinals getting on the scoreboard but for little time left and a missed 52-yard field goal from James Turner at the halftime gun.