This year, Brian Gutekunst and his staff have made plenty of noteworthy moves that have helped the Green Bay Packers get to 9-3. The GM has been praised for many of these acquisitions, and rightfully so. But one of his sneaky-smartest deals may have been the under-the-radar trade with the Los Angeles Rams for Corey Bojorquez.
Former Packers punter J.K. Scott had struggled when the calendar flipped to the winter months — obviously a problem when you play at Lambeau. While he wasn’t an unmitigated disaster, he left a lot to be desired. The bad moments on special teams became even more frequent last year. Gutekunst traded away a 2023 sixth-round pick for a promising prospect in Bojorquez. It’s turned out to be a gift from the Rams.
Bojorquez has uncorked one bomb after another this year. While punter is the easiest spot in football to overlook, his contributions can’t go unnoticed.
“Bojo” is fourth in the NFL in net punting average, with 47.8 yards per boot for Green Bay this year. Contrast that with Scott’s average of 44.6 yards per punt throughout his three seasons with the Packers, during which time he never eclipsed 45. It doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but it is, especially considering how many times they get out onto the field every single week. Bojo inspires trust in Packers fans that they didn’t quite have with Scott as he continued to tailspin last year.
With Bojo, the Green Bay faithful watch to see how far it will fly. With Scott, fingers were crossed in late December games hoping that the next shank wasn’t about to happen.
Along the way, Bojorquez has received kudos from head coach Matt LaFleur. That may have been most evident after his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the season when he came up in a big spot in the fourth quarter.
“That was unbelievable, to flip the field like that. What a great punt,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, we never want to put him in that position. Our goal as an offense is a bare minimum, when you are backed up, to get two first downs, and we didn’t accomplish that. But again, he bailed us out.
“He has been spectacular. When you look at the location of his punts, the distance, the hangtime to allow our gunners to get down there, I think it’s been really, really good.”
It’s an odd role to play because if the Packers had their way, Bojorquez wouldn’t see the field much on punting duties. The less Bojo is seen, the better the team is doing. However, he brings a reassuring presence — if the offensive plan does go awry, he can bail them out of trouble. That’s desperately been needed for a special teams unit that has struggled mightily.
Mason Crosby is in the midst of his worst season as an NFL kicker, and he’s been around since 2007. His nine missed field goals are already the most he’s had in a season since 2012. The kicking game has been an utter disaster.
The kick coverage unit hasn’t been anything to brag about either, and Amari Rodgers has made plenty of head-scratching moves in the punt returning game. It’s been chaotic and brutal to watch anywhere you look on special teams for Green Bay. Except for Bojorquez and the punting game.
His contributions will be even more necessary as the stakes get higher down the stretch run of the season. In the past, this was where Scott struggled — in cold-weather games. It’s exactly where the Packers need Bojo to be at his best. Despite the incredible year he’s having, he is still looking to fine-tune some aspects of his gig.
“I think I’m doing all right,” Bojorquez said. “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement for me — and I’m always going to think that. It helps me stay away from complacency. So I think I started off pretty well, but I think there’s definitely a lot more that I can do to help this team.
“I’ve always kind of been the big-ball punter, which is great, but if you’re hitting it 65 yards and they’re returning it 20, it’s kind of pointless, in my opinion. So I think just maturing as a punter, realizing if I can hit a 60-yard punt to the sideline, great, but I would almost (rather) have a 50-yard to the sideline.”
To get to the mountaintop, a team needs unsung heroes. Green Bay has had its share so far thanks to a couple of tremendous moves by Gutekunst in getting De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas. But another one that cannot be forgotten is the trade for Corey Bojorquez.
