Latest trade in the NFL creates a market opportunity the Packers can't miss

Last week, we mentioned that Cade York could be an option for the Green Bay Packers if they want a new option since the battle between kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph has been underwhelming throughout training camp. York has been traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Washington Commanders for a seventh-round pick, so he is not an alternative anymore.

But this move created another one that might be useful for the Packers. As a corresponding move after acquiring Cade York, the Commanders waived kicker Riley Patterson.

He's not exactly a household name, but Patterson has been better than Carlson and Joseph in the NFL. And that's what the Packers can realistically expect at this point.

Patterson went undrafted in 2021 and has been a journeyman since. He's been with the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and Commanders. He's been a part-time player for the most part, but he played seven games for the Lions in 2021 and 17 for the Jaguars in 2022. Last season, he played 13 games for the Lions with an 88.2% field goal conversion rate and two for the Browns, converting the only field goal he kicked.

Throughout his NFL career, Patterson has played 38 games, converting 88.1% of his field goals and 95.9% of the extra points. That's significantly better than Anders Carlson (81.8% FG, 87.2% XP) and Greg Joseph (82.6% FG, 90.1% XP) — curiously enough, he has been better than Cade York as well.

Good and bad

Riley Patterson is a solid kicker from under 50 yards. He's missed only two field goals of 42 from under 40 yards, and three of 19 under 50. The problem for Patterson is that he doesn't have a strong leg, converting only three of six kicks from 50+ yards.

However, even though there's a perception around Carlson's ceiling, he's also converted only three of five kicks of 50+ yards.

Situation

Riley Patterson is still not a vested veteran, so he's subject to waivers. That means the Packers could send a waiver request, and if no team with a higher priority requests it too, Green Bay would absorb Patterson's old deal with the Commanders. In the contract, Patterson is slated to make a veteran minimum base salary of $1.055 million, plus a $45,000 week 1 roster bonus.

At this moment, the Packers have three kickers on the roster. Beyond Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, Green Bay has rookie Alex Hale. However, Hale has been designated as a part of the International Pathway Program , which means he doesn't count against the 90-man roster limit. Hale is expected to be waived and brought back to the practice squad, because he won't count against the 16-man limit either.

Related: The Packers have three kickers, and the real answer might not be on the 90-man roster