Former Wisconsin long snapper Peter Bowden. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Why UDFA long snapper could be a key pickup for Packers

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 4/30/24

The Green Bay Packers are hoping to get exponential production from each of the 11 players they took in the 2024 NFL Draft. Sure, while players such as first-round offensive tackle Jordan Morgan and second-round linebacker Edgerrin Cooper are expected to make big impacts, perhaps an undrafted free agent will be among the Packers' most important additions when all is said and done.

The Packers signed eight undrafted free agents on Tuesday, with the most intriguing name undoubtedly being former Wisconsin long snapper Peter Bowden.

Among the UDFAs with whom the #Packers have agreed to terms is Wisconsin long snapper Peter Bowden.

Saw action in all 39 games over the past three seasons (2021-23).He was a finalist last year for the Patrick Mannelly Award for best college long snapper. https://t.co/UWrlIIMgwf
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) April 30, 2024

While a long-snapper addition isn't exciting when taken at face value, consider these points.

Last season, rookie kicker Anders Carlson missed six field-goal attempts. That happens with rookie kickers, but he also missed five extra-point attempts. He either had a case of the "yips," or there was something wrong with Green Bay's kicking "process" in 2024.

The Packers brought in veteran kicker Greg Joseph to try to add competition in 2024 and perhaps even unseat the talented, yet inconsistent, Carlson. Getting a new face in the room to take care of the long-snapping duties could also be another way to fix last season's problems — especially when considering Bowden's proficiency in college.

He was a three-year starter at long snapper for Wisconsin, and he was in the running for the Patrick Mannelly Award — given to college football's best long snapper — in 2022 and 2023.

Matt Orzech is Green Bay's current long snapper, but with every inch mattering for what could end up being a Super Bowl-contending team, there's certainly a world in which Bowden becomes a key pickup for the Packers in 2024.

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