Packers start cuts by releasing veteran punter

August 28, 2023
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

Green Bay will have a new punter for a second straight season.

The Packers announced Monday that they had cut veteran Pat O’Donnell after just one season with the team.

O’Donnell finished near the bottom of the NFL in net average last year, ranking 31st at 38.5 yards per punt. He did drop nearly half of them (46.2%) inside the 20-yard line, which was the fourth-best mark in the league.

But the Packers brought in some competition this offseason in the form of Daniel Whelan, the former XFL punter that is originally from Ireland. He had a solid training camp and capped it off by averaging 45.7 yards per punt with a long of 67 in the preseason. Of his six punts, three of them were downed inside the 20.

The decision to cut O’Donnell also impacts the kicking game, as he was the holder for rookie kicker Anders Carlson since the latter was drafted in April. The move adds even more uncertainty into what was an up and down training camp for Carlson.

Green Bay must have its roster down to 53 players by 3 p.m. Tuesday.