Through seven weeks, the Green Bay Packers’ special teams ranked 22nd in DVOA. The trend has been concerning in recent years. They were 17th in 2022, 31st in 2023, and again bottom 10 in 2024. Furthermore, Pro Football Focus graded the unit 25th in 2022, 26th in 2023, last in 2024, and once again near the bottom in 2025.
The issue is compounded by the fact that Rich Bissacia is the league’s highest-paid coordinator, yet the results continue to fall short of expectations. Just about everything has gone wrong with Bisaccia’s unit, but one particular tendency has been especially frustrating this season: their inability to consistently field a reliable punter.
This season, Green Bay has rotated Keisean Nixon, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Matthew Golden as returners. Together, they were averaging just 5.5 yards per return before Week 8. When one of them breaks a longer gain, a holding penalty negates it. On Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nixon muffed a punt inside Green Bay’s 20-yard line that nearly turned into a disaster, but Zayne Anderson saved the play by jumping on the ball.
Nixon has been starting most of the year at outside cornerback. However, with Reed on injury reserve and Christian Watson making his first appearance back from a torn ACL, Doubs and Golden stepped in as Green Bay’s top two wideouts against the Steelers.
All of these guys are starters. Are the Packers really okay with them taking returns while defenders come at full speed? Nixon’s upside as an All-Pro returner is obvious. However, Green Bay is thin at receiver, so Doubs and Golden taking extra hits seems completely unnecessary.
Brian Gutekunst could give Mecole Hardman a call. The Packers signed him in free agency, but he didn’t make the roster during final cuts. Still, they re-signed him to the practice squad the following day before releasing him in late September. Green Bay just needs someone back there who can handle returns while letting their receivers focus on being, well, receivers.
Green Bay carries two kickers, Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik, on its 53-man roster. Assuming that changes soon, the team would have room to add another option. AtozSports’ Wendell Ferreira put together an interesting list of potential candidates the Packers could pursue, including a CFL star.
This would be a great alternative, but (Trey) Vaval will only become available to sign with NFL teams after the Grey Cup in November. Vaval spent some time with the Atlanta Falcons last year, and he’s a rookie in the CFL.
He’s had four return touchdowns for the Blue Bombers, a third of the return TDs in the entire Canadian league this season. He’s fast enough, but his ability to read and react is impressive. By the way, he’s the only defensive player on this list, a defensive back.
Ferreira also mentioned Ihmir Smith-Marsette, a fifth-round pick in 2021 by the Minnesota Vikings.
A fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, he’s been with several NFL teams, and with the Giants since last year. He’s a fine depth wide receiver, but his returning abilities are real. Last year, he had PFF grades over 74 in both kickoff and punt returns, which is exactly the type of piece the Packers could spend a roster spot on. Even though he’s experienced, Smith-Marsette is just 26.
It doesn’t need to be pretty. Green Bay just needs a punt-return specialist. Their special teams aren’t doing anything, so asking players from other units to take on extra responsibilities makes no sense.
For years, Green Bay has neglected its special teams unit. Rich Bisaccia’s seat gets hotter by the week, and you have to imagine he’d be open to a new returner if it meant improving the results from his group. The bottom line is simple: Green Bay needs someone whose sole job is returning punts — nothing more, nothing less.