This may be a brave new year for the Green Bay Packers.
While the offense and defense need major makeovers going forward, special teams is by far the most stable unit on the team. That sentence would appear nonsensical only one year ago, but the Packers made reworking their historically terrible unit a priority.
Hiring Rich Bisaccia, prioritizing acquiring dedicated special teams players (rather than throwing bottom-of-the-roster players into the flames), and ending the tyranny of Amari Rodgers led to the Packers’ special teams unit ranking 17th in DVOA. That’s a beautifully league-average ranking and a far cry from 2021, when they were probably worse than most NFL — and college — teams.
With quarterback uncertainty, a stagnating offense, and an underperforming defense, Green Bay will need to keep building on their improving special teams and rely on them in the coming days.
In his season-ending media availability, Brian Gutekunst acknowledged the growth and success of special teams multiple times, crediting Bisaccia’s work in rebuilding the unit’s culture.
“I really like what we did as a teams unit this year. I’ve got a lot of respect for Rich,” Gutekunst said. “I thought our cover teams was as good as it’s been here in a long time.”
Bringing in Bisaccia was a clear move towards building a special teams program from the ground up. It seemed like no matter who the coordinator was, ST was doomed to fail due to being an afterthought in Green Bay. After being too cheap to pay the respected Darren Rizzi in 2019, the Packers righted the ship by targeting Bisaccia. Via Football Outsiders, Bisaccia is an expert in fixing special teams in his first year with a team, improving them by an average of 4.8 DVOA spots.
Bisaccia changed the culture for the better. Players resonated with his tough-love attitude and respected his stance on the importance of special teams. But his influence forced the Packers to rethink how they approach building the unit from a personnel point of view. Green Bay let their previous core special teamers, like Oren Burks and Ty Summers, find work elsewhere and built a new core in line with Bisaccia’s vision.
New additions, including Keisean Nixon, Dallin Leavitt, Rudy Ford, Eric Wilson, and Tariq Carpenter, were vital in bringing a new attitude to the group. Nixon and Leavitt, in particular, became leaders willing to do it all and fighting with a passion not previously seen in a Packers special teams unit. PFF had Eric Wilson quietly leading the NFL as a special teamer, with an outstanding 91.7, and led Green Bay’s unit in tackles. Carpenter grew as the season went on and is developing into a reliable part of the group.
Gutekunst particularly praised Nixon’s play but admitted no one saw him as a returner. No one should ever be forgiven for letting Amari Rodgers continue to struggle as a returner. But once Nixon finally took over the role, he became a star. Nixon’s 1,009 kickoff return yards led the NFL, and his 12.7-yard average per punt return was second in the league. Nixon earned First-Team All-Pro honors for his efforts, and his re-signing is a must for the Packers this off-season.
The new core unit is a great start, but the Packers have more building to do this off-season. There are still too many mistakes and too many players not suited to their ST roles. Nixon had some truly beautiful runs called back thanks to penalties, and his own teammate even tackled him in Week 18.
Bisaccia will also need to find the right specialists moving forward. Gutekunst mentioned that they’ll bring in competition at kicker and punter as always, but the need could be greater in 2023.
Mason Crosby had some game-winners and came in clutch during the many times the Packers’ offense could score in the red zone, and he got better as the season went on. But the truth is that Crosby struggled on kickoffs and in long field goal attempts. His long history of success and chemistry with the team shouldn’t be forgotten. But the 38-year-old kicker will need a new contract to return, and it’s worth considering a change. It wouldn’t be unrealistic that Crosby could consider retiring and make the team’s decision for them.
As Bisaccia’s hand-picked punter, Pat O’Donnell is a fairly safe bet to return, but that doesn’t mean the competition can’t beat him out. Long snapper Jack Coco had his ups and downs and doesn’t have a lock on his role.
2022 was a pivotal year for special teams in Green Bay. Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur were rewarded for their efforts in reimagining the group and need to build on that momentum in 2023. Another year to instill the system and a few more core players, and special teams just might be a unit the Packers can rely on and, dare I say it, win because of.
