Special teams have been a hot topic in Green Bay for decades. The amount of resources they’ve poured into the so-called third phase has come under increasing scrutiny as the unit continues to struggle. The return game was downright dreadful this year, and the kick-return spot has been a mess ever since Keisean Nixon vacated it.
They can solve their returning issues by drafting Kaden Wetjen.
It’s not an all-around disaster on teams for the Green Bay Packers. Daniel Whelan was as good as it gets at punter this year. Thanks in large part to Whelan, the Packers finished fourth in net punting.
The coverage units were also pretty damn solid for special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia in 2025, with the kick coverage team finishing 11th best in the NFL.
The return game is the real black eye. At punt returner, the Packers pivoted after a few weeks to wide receiver Romeo Doubs. Doubs is a good wide receiver. As a punt returner? Not so much.
Green Bay put Doubs back there because of his hands. It seemed as though the Packers viewed a cleanly fielded fair catch as a win. Their longest punt return of the season was 20 yards.
Kick returner wasn’t much better. The Packers cycled through plenty of names in their effort to find somebody who clicked, including Savion Williams, Bo Melton, and Emanuel Wilson, among others. The Packers finished tied for 23rd in average yards per kick return. Kaden Wetjen could be the answer.
Wetjen ended his collegiate career at Iowa as one of the most dynamic returners college football has seen in recent years. He took a combined six kick- and punt-returns to the house — and did so in just two years!
With the Hawkeyes this year, Wetjen led the FBS in punt-return yards (563) and punt-return touchdowns (3). He led the Big Ten in average yards per return on kickoffs (29.8). In 2024, it was much of the same. Wetjen led all of the FBS in kick-return yards (727) and led the Big Ten in yards per return on kickoffs while amassing the most punt-return yards in the conference.
In just two years, Wetjen rewrote the record books at Iowa, passing legend Tim Dwight for the most return touchdowns in school history. Wetjen put a bow on the show this year by being named a Consensus All-American a year after being named a First-Team All-American.
Iowa lists Wetjen as a wide receiver, but he’ll make his money in the NFL as a returner. The cost for doing business would likely be, at most, a sixth-round pick. Typically, in that part of the draft, teams are taking fliers on prospects with traits they like. For the Packers, getting Wetjen in the sixth round would instantly check two important boxes at punt returner and kick returner.
It might seem far-fetched to suggest one player can turn around a special teams unit, but Green Bay’s return game has been that putrid, and Wetjen is that electric.
LeVar Woods, the longtime special teams coordinator at Iowa who recently moved to Michigan State after being with the Hawkeyes since 2008, praised Wetjen’s ability as a returner.
The sky’s the limit for him. First, he’s fearless, which you have to be to be a returner — especially a punt returner — because there’s not much time; you have to make a quick decision as people are bearing down on you right away. He’s built low to the ground, which helps him because he’s sturdy. He’s not going to go down on the first hit, and I think he does a great job making decisions and judgments.
Wetjen wasn’t just a flash in the pan for Iowa. He built up back-to-back incredible seasons as a returner that will be tough for anyone to match. On offense, he’d likely be nothing more than a gadget player who they seldom use. When looking at how full the wide receiver room is for the Packers, they wouldn’t need him to be a consistent threat in that department. Solving the riddle of the return game would take instant precedent.
The Packers have their punter. Green Bay showed it has good coverage units in 2025. The kicking game is a bit uncertain, but the real stain has come in the return department. Wetjen can answer those questions and then some for the Packers, providing a significant boost. He wasn’t just a good returner; he was as good as it gets. His 95.5 grade as a punter returner in 2025 was the highest ever in the PFF college era.
Kaden Wetjen is the answer at returner for Green Bay and won’t cost much in terms of draft capital. It makes too much sense.
