The Green Bay Packers special teams are a mire of sadness.
One week after a blocked kick cost the Packers a win in Cleveland, another one caused a three-point swing on Sunday night, when the Dallas Cowboys returned it for a two-point gain.
Those two plays alone are a big part of why Green Bay is 2-1-1 (a disgustingly long number I will lament typing for the rest of the season) rather than 4-0. Yet those two plays aren’t the only cause for despair.
Teams looked solid in Week 1 before quickly becoming a hanging sword of Damocles over what hopes to be a promising season. And one of Rich Bisaccia’s largest blunders looks to have no answer.
With Jayden Reed injured, the Packers turned to promising rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden to return punts.
While Bisaccia previously claimed Golden was a work in progress as a returner — “Excited about the direction he’s going in” — that direction now looks ominous. It was fully on display against Dallas.
Golden’s lack of instinct was on display, and the rookie took a brutal hit on what would be his final return of the day. It’s not a shot at Golden, who is otherwise showing promise of great things. It’s simply not the right role for him. It doesn’t fit Golden’s skill set, and the Packers instead need to find more ways to involve him on offense rather than special teams. And the Packers need a better answer for returning punts.
Golden has a small sample size at punt returner — just six since taking over for Reed. He has 28 return yards and one fair catch, with a long of 11. It’s not the worst-looking stat line, especially compared to past returners, and he hasn’t muffed yet.
The problem is he doesn’t appear to have the right instincts for the role. On one, Golden didn’t catch the ball in a situation where he would have had solid running room. Instead, he took a bounce and basically made it into a fair catch from a position standpoint.
On another, he attempted a spin move and took a brutal hit from Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau. Golden got up fine, but the hit could have spelled disaster for Green Bay’s already depleted receiving room.
After that, the Packers let Romeo Doubs, who was having himself a day against Dallas on offense, handle punt returns despite not having ever done it in an NFL game.
There’s a lot to like about Golden. Running with the ball in his hands and gauging blocks isn’t one of them. It’s a reason the schemed plays don’t work for him in the same way they do for fellow rookie Savion Williams, and it’s a reason punt returns aren’t a great fit for him.
That’s not a bad thing. There are plenty of other assets Golden brings to the table.
That poor fit, along with the injury risk, makes Golden the wrong choice for the role. The Packers need to let Golden focus on offense, but another issue arises. Who else should handle the role?
The Packers don’t have an easy answer. Punt returners and kick returners have different builds and skill sets around the league, especially with the new kickoff rules.
Williams makes perfect sense as a kick returner. But punt returners are often smaller receivers (or running backs, or cornerbacks). Slot builds, especially backups, are the norm for the role across the league. The Packers don’t generally value that physical profile. They prefer larger receivers who can hold up as blockers. Reed and Golden are already on the larger size for “smaller” receivers.
Williams would be massive for a punt returner, but it still might be a better option than Golden.
Green Bay could use Bo Melton (who is 5’11”), who already is a core special teamer and one of the team’s best gunners on the punt team. Or they could give the role back to Keisean Nixon, despite his lack of desire to do it and his important role on defense. Even fair catching every ball might be an improvement.
The team previously released veteran Mecole Hardman from their practice squad. Hardman’s best chance to make the roster was to establish himself as a primary return option, but he made too many mistakes in the preseason and couldn’t establish himself on offense.
Right now, the Packers have a spot open on their roster, and using it to bring back Hardman is a solid option. Hardman may not have lived up to expectations, but he worked with the team all offseason and might be the best option Green Bay can find for the role. It’s not the best use of a roster spot, but it’s better than having an extra spot on the roster and risking Golden.
With the bye week approaching, we’ll have to hope punt returner is a serious concern for the coaching staff during their self-scouting. The way they build their roster doesn’t leave many ideal options. However, if special teams continues to cost the Packers games and field positions, they’ll need to reconsider their priorities seriously. And this team is no stranger to having a promising season derailed by special teams blunders.
Even if the Packers don’t want to bring in a new returner, they need a better option than Golden. His best skills aren’t right for the role, and they risk injury with every return.
