Packers Training Camp Primer: Focus on the Special Teams!

Achord brings a solid résumé, including helping New England rank first in special teams during his first season as coordinator in 2020 and spending the past two years as the Giants’ assistant special teams coach. While his hiring is encouraging, meaningful improvement will require more than a coaching change.

The Packers’ struggles on special teams have stemmed from years of underinvesting in the unit, particularly in player acquisition. If Green Bay commits to building a stronger special teams roster, Achord has the experience to elevate the unit to at least league-average—a step that could make a significant difference for the team’s championship aspirations.

Now onto the specialists!

Packers Punter and Long Snapper

Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot to discuss here. Daniel Whelan has been a fantastic punter for the Packers. I remember the days of terrible punters causing Green Bay much heart ache. I don’t have to worry about that too much with Whelan. He has a booming leg and is very capable of pinning opposing offenses within their own 20-yard line, and sometimes within their own 10-yard line. Because of Whelan’s abilities, there isn’t any competition here. The Packers could always bring in someone after training camp if things head south for Whelan, but that won’t happen.

Then, you have the Packers long snapper Matt Orzech. If you don’t have to talk about a team’s long snapper, then they probably have at minimum a good one. If long snapper has to be talked about, then a team should consider replacing them. We haven’t had to talk about Orzech so he should be good to go! The only thing to be aware of is his age. He is 31 years old.

Is There a Packers Kicking Battle?

In this year’s NFL draft, the Packers drafted Trey Smack in the sixth round after trading back up. Green Bay has some investment in the rookie kicker, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t cut ties with Smack. He has had some struggles in OTAs but that doesn’t indicate much at all. I’m sure it takes some time to adjust to kicking “The Duke” in comparison to the college football.

That being said, the Packers also have a team record holder on the squad in Lucas Havrisik. Havrisik owns the record for the longest field goal made by a Packers kicker. And unlike Smack, Havrisik has had a good time in OTAs. This is indeed a competition between the two kickers, although I do expect the draft pick to come out on top.

Any Other Special Team Stuff to be Aware Of?

The only other things to be aware of is the return game and the coverage units. When Bo Melton and Zayne Anderson went down, the Packers coverage units in the return game also went downhill. The playoff wildcard game would have gone differently, in my opinion, if Melton and Anderson would have been able to play. So, what will the Packers coverage units look like? That remains to be seen.

Also, Green Bay brought in Skyy Moore to be a designated return man and even signed him with a signing bonus that has already been paid to him. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will still make the team. He will still have to compete for a spot on this roster, especially considering the limited spots available on the 53-man roster for wide receivers.

Speaking of 53-man roster, that will be next week. This four part series will end with my very own prediction of who makes the initial 53-man roster.

But regardless and always,

Go Pack Go!