Green Bay Packers go “out of character” in effort to improve special teams

Hiring Rich Bisaccia, a well-respected and proven special teams coordinator, was a great first step for the Green Bay Packers, who are looking to turn around a unit that was not only bad in 2021 but has been bad for the better part of a decade.

However, that was only step one in this process. To really go about transforming this special teams unit, it is going to take an organizational shift in how this phase of the game is viewed and prioritized.

As I wrote prior to training camp, we began to see that shift during the offseason when Bisaccia was given a voice in some of the personnel decisions that were made. GM Brian Gutekunst would also tell reporters on Wednesday, that the team went “out of character” in comparison to years past when it came to addressing this unit.

"“I think we’ve done a little bit of things that might be out of character for us, as far as some of the guys we brought in that maybe don’t play as big a role on offense or defense, but maybe they’re more heavy special teams players,” Gutekunst said via The Athletic ($$)."

Instead of relying on a bevy of young players — which will still happen to some degree — or prioritizing the offensive or defensive contributions over special teams, the Green Bay Packers Packers have made several additions this offseason where special teams is the calling card of those players.

Cornerback Keisean Nixon who was signed during the early portion of free agency comes to Green Bay with nearly 700 special teams snaps over three seasons in Las Vegas while playing under Bisaccia.

Dallin Leavitt is another former Raider with 831 career special teams snaps, according to PFF ($$), which included leading Las Vegas in special teams tackles last season.

The most recent addition was Rudy Ford, who has just under 1,000 career special teams snaps and was called by Gutekunst on Wednesday “one of the better gunners in the league.”

Even Rico Gafford, who ended up on the practice squad, fits this mold. In a crowded cornerback room, playing time on defense was never going to be a realistic option for him, but with 4.22 speed, he is someone who could make a mark on several different special teams units.

Meanwhile, defensively for this group, Ford, who has played five NFL seasons, leads the way with just 550 total snaps. Leavitt has 371. Nixon has fewer than 300, and Gafford was a wide receiver.

While Gutekunst didn’t directly come out and say it, if we read between the lines, these are moves that the team very well may not have made in previous seasons.

Hopefully, this change in philosophy will yield better results on the field.

For the most part, during the preseason, the play from the special teams unit was uninspiring, although it’s important to keep in mind that many of the players who were taking the bulk of those snaps are either no longer with the team or on the practice squad. To some degree, it may also take some time with a new system being implemented.

With points on offense perhaps not coming as easily as they have in years past and a greater reliance on the defense, poor special teams play could impact the win-loss column much more than it has previously.

After a decade-plus of floundering in the bottom third of the annual special teams rankings, the Green Bay Packers have taken a different approach when it comes to personnel and, overall, simply prioritizing special teams. Now we wait and see if it pays dividends.