Packers finally get high-level play from key group and prove why their new style of investment is starting to pay off

Brian Gutekunst doesn't shy away from investing in special teams. He set the tone in his first draft class, taking punter JK Scott in the fifth round and long snapper Hunter Bradley in the seventh. After deciding to part ways with veteran Mason Crosby, the initial answer was to take Anders Carlson in the sixth round two years ago.

That is not the best process to build a special teams unit, and it seems like the Green Bay Packers general manager finally figured it out.

This is our last part of the series with a Packers positional breakdown, and it's about the specialists.

Finally, the good type of continuity

The Packers will have kicker Brandon McManus, punter Daniel Whelan, and long snapper Matthew Orzech all back for the 2025 season. But it was a long journey for Gutekunst to arrive there.

Because Hunter Bradley didn't work out exactly how Gutekunst expected, the team had some rough experiences with players like Zach Triner, Joe Fortunato, Steven Wirtel (who cost the Packers a playoff game in that blocked punt against the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 postseason), and Jack Coco. After years of tough choices, the Packers went in free agency and signed Matthew Orzech, a Super Bowl champion for the Los Angeles Rams, to a three-year deal.

At punter, things with Scott didn't work as planned either. The team traded for Corey Bojorquez and then signed veteran Pat O'Donnell. Ultimately, Green Bay got Daniel Whelan from the XFL's DC Defenders, and he became a solid starter.

At kicker, the situation was rough. Carlson also cost them a playoff game (once again versus the 49ers). Last year's kicking competition was a depressing roulette between the former draft pick, Jack Podlesny, James Turner, and veteran Greg Joseph. All of them lost it, and the team was forced to claim rookie Brayden Narveson from the Tennessee Titans right before Week 1.

Narveson only played six games before his own release, motivated by the Packers' decision to finally sign an established veteran in Brandon McManus—he was available because of off-field issues.

He became a free agent after a strong first season in Green Bay, but received a three-year extension to keep the flow of the group. Whelan, an exclusive-rights free agent, also got his tender to be around for one more year.

"[Brandon McManus] solidified that journey we were going on," Brian Gutekunst said after last season. "Obviously he's a veteran guy. His ability to adjust, the weather we had."