GREEN BAY, Wis. — At one point, the Green Bay Packers were ready to enter training camp rostering three different kickers.
German-born Lenny Krieg was among the trio, along with rookie sixth-round pick Trey Smack and Lucas Havrisik, a franchise record-holder who was entering his second season with the team.
Havrisik was the first to hit the chopping block, but Krieg, who impressed the Packers’ coaches enough during his tryout to earn a contract, was released after just two practices. That left Smack alone to handle kicking duties—an ideal and almost favorable outcome for the Packers, who would’ve had a difficult time allocating practice reps to two different kickers. The rookie leg certainly didn’t disappoint, connecting on all nine of his field-goal attempts in the Packers’ three preseason games, including a 59-yarder in the Aug. 21 meeting with the Denver Broncos.
Make no mistake about it, Smack is the Packers’ kicker, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a familiar face.
Krieg is returning to the Packers’ practice squad, according to Sports Illustrated. Because Krieg is in the league’s International Player Pathway program, the Packers gain a roster exemption for him, allowing them to carry a maximum of 17 players on the practice squad as opposed to 16. When Krieg’s signing becomes official, they’ll be at 15 players after also signing quarterback Kedon Slovis on Tuesday.
Australian ex-rugby player Thomas Yassmin was going to be the Packers’ international exemption. However, the tight end suffered a knee injury in the Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals. He was waived with an injury designation during roster cut-downs, but reverted back to the Packers’ injured reserve list after passing through the waiver period unclaimed. He’ll remain there for the entire season unless he reaches an injury settlement with the team.
The 23-year-old Krieg will be entering his second season in the league after spending the entirety of his rookie year on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. Despite signing a three-year contract, the New York Jets swooped in and signed Krieg to a futures contract in January, but he was released just five months later.
Born in Berlin, Germany, Krieg didn't even take up an interest in American football until six years ago when his older brother, Jaycee, returned from university in Wisconsin. Lenny, who had predominantly played soccer, was enthused, turning to YouTube tutorials in order to master the art of being a placekicker. The brothers ventured down separate paths, but they remained together—Jaycee became the defensive backs coach for Berlin Adler in 2018, before Lenny joined the club in 2021.
Jaycee is currently the head coach of Düsseldorf Panther in the German Football League, becoming the youngest head coach in the club’s history at just 24 years old in 2024. His younger brother, meanwhile, was promoted to the European League of Football in 2023, playing two seasons for the Stuttgart Surge. It was during this time that Krieg would commute roughly six and a half hours by train for practices and games, all while balancing a job in real estate to earn an income.
After his final season, Krieg was accepted to the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, which snowballed into an invitation to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, where he made all 14 of his kicks in front of coaches and scouts.
While he has very little to show for his professional career so far, Krieg did see action in the preseason last summer, albeit briefly. He appeared in just one game, converting on one of his two field-goal attempts against the Detroit Lions, but his lone make was a 57-yarder.
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.