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When the Green Bay Packers added German kicker Lenny Krieg to their 90-man roster on July 28, 2026, it felt like another fascinating chapter in an improbable football journey. Burned out on soccer, the Berlin native had taught himself to kick by watching YouTube videos, starred for the Stuttgart Surge in the European League of Football, and dazzled scouts at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine by hitting all 14 of his attempts. Yet by August 2, that momentum had completely evaporated. In a stark demonstration of how ruthlessly efficient NFL front offices operate on the eve of training camp, Krieg was let go just 48 hours after touching down in Wisconsin, leaving the Packers' specialist room right back where it started.
The sequence exposed the volatile arithmetic governing general manager Brian Gutekunst's ongoing search for stability. To clear room for Krieg’s initial tryout and subsequent signing, Green Bay had waived Lucas Havrisik—the very player who set a franchise record last October by drilling a 61-yard field goal against the Arizona Cardinals. Havrisik’s reward for a brief, clutch stint as an injury replacement for Brandon McManus was a pink slip, only for the team to reverse course rapidly and cycle through another reshuffling of their roster constraints.
The Roster Mechanics and the IPP Calculus
Behind the lightning-fast turnaround lies a complex web of roster exemptions and developmental asset management. The primary intrigue surrounding Krieg has always been his eligibility for the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Because the Packers had previously applied their IPP roster exemption to English edge rusher Dante Barnett, bringing Krieg onto the active 90-man roster required standard transactional maneuvering rather than an immediate bonus designation.
When Gutekunst assessed the broader landscape of training camp—including tight end depth depleted by injuries to Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave—the margin for error on the back end of the roster proved razor-thin. Green Bay ultimately committed its immediate specialist focus to rookie Trey Smack, the sixth-round draft pick out of Florida who arrived as the consensus top kicker off the board in the spring. Smack’s up-and-down offseason practices under head coach Matt LaFleur have required patience, but the front office's preference shifted decisively toward backing their drafted investment rather than carrying a revolving door of camp legs.
Chronology of a Brief Stint
- Monday, July 27, 2026: Lenny Krieg works out for the Green Bay Packers facility staff.
- Tuesday, July 28, 2026: The Packers officially announce the signing of Krieg, simultaneously waiving franchise record-holder Lucas Havrisik.
- Late July / Early August 2026: Roster evaluations force a rapid pivot, leading to Krieg's release after a mere 48-hour window in Green Bay.
Forward Implications for the Specialist Room
For Krieg, the abrupt departure marks another nomadic turn following stints with the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets. His journey from real estate agent and European League of Football standout to NFL practice squads remains an inspiration, proving that the bridge from overseas developmental pathways to American training camps can be crossed. For the Packers, however, sentimentality takes a back seat to survival.
With Smack holding down the primary role as training camp kicks into full gear, the organization continues its high-stakes gamble to permanently close the book on a kicking carousel that has plagued the franchise for years. If Smack stumbles when the preseason lights turn on, Gutekunst’s phone may start ringing again—though whether Krieg gets another look in Titletown remains an open question.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- sportschau.de original
- si.com original
- flashscore.de original
- pipedot.org original
- packersnews.com original
- flashscore.at original
- ran.joyn.de original
