8 Big Things to Watch for on Special Teams During Packers Training Camp
By Paul Bretl
Watson and Doubs on the return teams
It’s no surprise, but both of the Packers’ punt and kick return units last season — and years prior — were lacking playmaking ability. Now, in part, that is because of the blocking, but the Packers could also have used more juice as well.
On punts, Amari Rodgers struggled to field punts cleanly and was indecisive with the ball in his hands. He would rank 23rd out of 36 punt returners in average with 8.0 yards per attempt. On kickoffs, as a team, the Packers averaged 17.7 yards per return, which ranked 30th in the NFL, according to Statmuse.
Perhaps a part of the special teams turnaround will be the additions of Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Watson was an All-American kick returner at North Dakota State, averaging 26.4 yards per return on 26 career attempts. Doubs, meanwhile, had 37 total punt return attempts and averaged over 12 yards per return with a touchdown.
I imagine that in both roles, the Packers will be trying a number of players, but keep your eyes on these rookies, both of who have had quite a bit of success at the college level–although, as we saw with Amari Rodgers, that doesn’t guarantee any success in the NFL.
Will there be more practice time devoted to special teams?
It’s hard to know if this will take place or how it will be different from what it was like in previous years, but as the old saying goes, you get what you emphasize–and it certainly looks like the Packers did not emphasize special teams play in 2021.
As I wrote earlier this offseason, it’s going to take an organizational shift in how special teams is viewed if they hope to turn this unit around. Hiring Rich Bisaccia and bringing in free agents and draft picks who can help right away are great starts–as would be utilizing more starters. However, the correct amount of practice time needs to be devoted to it as well.
Again, of what I have listed in this article, it will be difficult to quantify or even know if this one happens, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it is something that needs to be prioritized.
All stats via PFF unless otherwise stated