The Green Bay Packers and new special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia must make decisions on all three specialist positions – kicker, punter and long snapper – this offseason, but the team shouldn’t overlook the glaring (and perpetual) need at kick and punt returner.
In 2021, Maurice Drayton picked rookies Amari Rodgers and Kylin Hill as his two primary returners. Hill went down with a season-ending knee injury on a baffling kick return attempt in Arizona, while Rodgers struggled for much of the season returning both kicks and punts. Overall, the Packers averaged 17.7 yards per kickoff return (30th in NFL) and 8.0 yards per punt return (21st).
Rodgers was unexpectedly poor as a rookie given his collegiate experience. He lacked confidence catching the ball and didn’t look explosive or threatening with the ball in his hands. Hill had no prior experience and was learning the job on the fly.
