Coming off of a disappointing ending to a once-promising 2025 season, the Green Bay Packers have a lot to prove in 2026.
For the team to get over its recent wild-card woes, Green Bay needs to start hot and stay that way.
That may be a challenge. Green Bay’s best defensive player, Micah Parsons, will likely miss roughly half of the season. A new coordinator helms the defense and relies on young, promising but unproven players at multiple positions. Meanwhile, the offense needs the offensive line to play well and for returning players to shake off the rust quickly.
Early games can’t feel like preseason for the Packers. To get off to a hot start, it would sure be nice if special teams could be a difference-maker. However, relying on Green Bay’s special teams is usually a fool’s errand. Even the most promising developments veer toward inevitable ruin at the worst times.
Still, a new coordinator offers at least a sliver of hope. What challenges does Cam Achord’s special teams unit need to overcome to be a difference-maker early in the season?
We can’t rule out that Green Bay’s special teams are actually cursed. One could pick almost any recent season and find at least one horrific blunder. But I don’t have the magical senses to prove it, so we’ll discount an exorcism or feng shui shift in the locker room and focus on the tangible.
Sports Illustrated ranked Green Bay’s special teams 20th last season. That isn’t the worst position the Packers have had in recent years, but it certainly didn’t win them the Super Bowl!
A missed field goal in Cleveland led to a loss, while a returned extra point led to an eventual tie in Dallas. The Packers gave up an onside kick in one game against the Chicago Bears, only for ex-kicker Brandon McManus to turn back into a moldy pumpkin once the playoffs started.
But it’s a new regime, and I’m ready to get hurt again. Let’s start with the good things Achord is inheriting from his predecessor.
Punter Daniel Whelan led the NFL in gross average and is coming off his best season. He’s a field-tilting weapon and the best specialist on the roster, always a boon for a new coordinator.
Punt- and kick-return coverage was also a positive and something the coaching staff prioritized. Green Bay’s kickoff return coverage ranked 11th in the league and was just 0.1 yards behind ninth.
The Packers also retained some of their core (and actually good) special-teams players, like Bo Melton and Isaiah McDuffie, among others. Therefore, Achord isn’t completely starting from scratch or relying solely on fringe roster players. However, Achord has his work cut out for him with kicker, returner, and overall consistency.
Brandon McManus wasn’t the only player who drove the 2025 season into the morass. However, he was one of the most discouraging, and his foot was responsible for many of the season’s most heart-wrenching moments.
The Packers found a replacement, trading up to draft Florida kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Generally regarded as the top kicker available, Smack is a promising player with an outstanding name for a kicker.
However, he’s still a rookie kicker. He’ll have to adjust to the NFL, prove he can kick in foul weather, and show that the lights aren’t metaphorically too bright for him. Smack is coming off of a rough showing during OTAs and minicamp and has a lot to prove at training camp.
The quicker Smack acclimates to the NFL and can be a reliable point-getter, the better. But it could be an uphill battle.
Despite having a two-time All-Pro kick returner on the roster, the Packers were terrible at kick and punt returns. Romeo Doubs became the primary punt returner, with his main selling point being he usually catches the ball, while rookie Savion Williams had a fairly unimpressive showing. Even Josh Jacobs returned a kick in the playoffs, and it almost ended in yet another special teams disaster.
To find some stability, the Packers signed WR Skyy Moore, who was a difference-maker as a returner for the San Francisco 49ers last season. He still needs to make the roster, but the hope is that having a dedicated returner, along with Achord’s history working with returners, can turn things around. Having better field position would make life much easier as Green Bay’s offense and defense find their respective rhythm.
Speaking of the 49ers, that team is a recent example of a team whose special teams unit redeemed itself in 2025.
The Niners had the worst special teams unit in 2024. Not an uncommon sight for his coaching tree, which includes Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay, among others. Shanahan fired former New York Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, who completely turned their unit around, ranking 11th in 2025.
How did they do it? The 49ers cleaned house, moving on from their underperforming players and bringing in a new punter, long snapper, coverage specialist, and returner (aka Skyy Moore). It wasn’t long before they moved on from kicker Jake Moody either.
It’s possible for a quick turnaround, even in the P— Boy coaching tree. The Packers have made some of the necessary changes, and we’ve also seen Achord implement some new training exercises this spring.
The challenge will be in changing the culture and getting those new elements up to speed quickly. Balancing a rookie kicker is already a challenge enough, but Smack needs to be ready to win games early. Moore needs to get acclimated immediately to bring the juice he showed in San Fran to Green Bay after missing most of the offseason. And the Packers need to constantly evaluate what is and isn’t working rather than react when it’s too late.
History isn’t kind to Green Bay’s special teams, who in turn, aren’t kind to fans. But there is a blueprint for a special-teams turnaround. Can Green Bay not only make that turnaround, but make it quickly and get off to an early winning streak? Cam Achord certainly has his work ahead of him.
