The Green Bay Packers’ new special teams coordinator, Cam Achord, took the gig in late February. The role he entered has been under great — and much deserved — scrutiny from fans over the past several years. But since his hiring, Green Bay has invested significantly in bolstering multiple facets of Achord’s special teams unit. It’s the most resources given to that group in quite some time.
Green Bay’s return units were abysmal last year in large part because the front office paid no attention to them. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs ended up being the punt returner for most of the season. Almost by default, and it seemed as though, as long as he jogged out, signaled for a fair catch, and didn’t fumble, there was no need for improvement.
As a result, the Packers finished 32nd in punt-return average. That’s in large part because Doubs isn’t a true returner. He just had to wear the hat because Green Bay had nobody else.
The kick returner situation wasn’t much better. Green Bay finished 21st in kick-return average. Then rookie Savion Williams never got a firm grasp on the role, logging one underwhelming return after another. Though he was a versatile weapon at TCU with home-run capability, it never came together for him last season.
The Packers tried other options like Bo Melton and Emanuel Wilson, but they somehow never considered giving the former All-Pro returner Keisean Nixon a shot until the postseason. Perhaps that was a function of Nixon’s long-stated disinterest in returning kicks. Regardless, the stats speak for themselves.
Things got so dire that running back Josh Jacobs lobbied to be a kick returner against the Chicago Bears in the playoffs, and he and Nixon combined for five returns.
General manager Brian Gutekunst wasted no time in free agency this go-around, adding Skyy Moore to the roster. Moore has the label of wide receiver, but is best known for his explosive return capabilities in recent seasons. He only tallied five receptions for the San Francisco 49ers last year, but produced a 98-yard kick return against the Arizona Cardinals and finished sixth in the NFL kick-return average and seventh in punt-return average.
Talk about a huge addition for Achord. And it wasn’t the only one.
Kicker Brandon McManus has been just fine in two seasons with the team for the most part, but the low points have been super low. After he missed two field-goal attempts and an extra point attempt in the playoff loss to the Bears, Gutekunst traded up to draft Florida kicker Trey Smack. Smack was the only kicker selected in the draft this year.
Now, Achord has McManus, Smack, and Lucas Havrisik battling it out this summer for one spot. It’s an embarrassment of riches for a position that will only have a lone spot dedicated to the 53-man roster.
Predictably, Achord was thrilled when discussing the number of kickers (three!) the Packers will have in camp to filter through before reaching a resolution.
I love it. The more, the merrier. They’re here for a reason, all of them. I think it’s gonna be a great competition. All those guys bring stuff to the table. That’s why they’re all here. They’re all professional football players. We’ll work it. We’ll manufacture it where everybody’s getting reps.
Finally, let’s look at the Dani Dennis-Sutton pick.
There’s plenty to be excited about with the fourth-round pick out of Penn State playing as an edge rusher in Jonathan Gannon’s defense. With Micah Parsons set to miss the first part of the season, Dennis-Sutton can easily stand alongside the likes of Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, and Brenton Cox Jr. as guys who could have an immediate opportunity with Parsons on the shelf.
But it goes beyond that with Dennis-Sutton.
No player in FBS football had more blocked punts last year than Dennis-Sutton with three. One could be considered a coverage lapse. Two could be considered luck. Once you get three blocked punts in one season, we start to believe there’s an art to it.
Dennis-Sutton could have an impact on defense right away for the Packers. Still, he’ll definitely be plugged in on special teams to see if any of that magic can carry over to the next level. Gutekunst and Co. drafted Dennis-Sutton for his defense, knowing the special teams contributions were also a huge bonus.
For the first time in a long time, the Packers have made noticeable additions in multiple areas that should help special teams immensely. The unit has a new leader in Cam Achord. “SpEcIaL tEaMs WiLl Be GoOd ThIs YeAr” has become a bit of a punchline over the last few seasons in Green Bay, but there’s more reason than ever to think it just might actually be true this time.
