Packers fans are all too familiar with the team’s struggles on special teams in recent years. Last year, it was a big reason the team lost their playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers and missed a chance to at least host the NFC Championship Game.
The return game has been part of the problem. Last year, the Packers started the season with rookie, seventh-round draft pick Kylin Hill as their primary kick returner while third-round pick Amari Rodgers returned punts. Neither player was outstanding in their respective roles. In eight games, Hill averaged a very mediocre 19.9-yards per kick return while Amari Rodgers averaged 8.3-yards per punt return and struggled to hold on to the ball.
It has been 23 seasons since the Packers last had a return specialist go to the Pro Bowl and that was Roell Preston back in 1998.
GM Brian Gutekunst selected two players in this year’s NFL Draft with experience returning either kicks or punts in second-round pick Christian Watson and fourth-rounder Romeo Doubs.
Watson returned kicks in each of his four seasons with North Dakota State although he only returned a total of 18 kickoffs during his college career. His average was 20.4-yards per runback with a long return of 48 yards.
There is no question that Watson has the tools to be a returner in the NFL. His 40-yard dash time at the combine was 4.36 and once he gets started, he is very difficult to bring down from behind. Watson has also demonstrated the elusiveness necessary to be a good kick returner.
After the injury Hill suffered last year while returning a kick, will the Packers coaching staff be willing to risk having Watson run back kicks in 2022? He certainly could give them a weapon they have lacked in recent years at the position and it would give him a way to contribute to the team’s success as he learns the offense and adjusts to life in the NFL. It may be the quickest way for Watson to contribute in his rookie season, especially early in the year.
Doubs may be a more polished route runner than Watson at this point in their respective careers which has led some to speculate he may be more ready to play a bigger role in the offense than Watson, at least in 2022. The Nevada alum also has good speed and in addition to receiving duties, he served as a punt returner in college.
In fact, the first touch Doubs had at Nevada was an 80-yard punt return for a score against Portland State. Over his college career, Doubs averaged 12.5-yards per punt return. Many draft experts even ranked Doubs higher on their draft boards because of his ability to return punts.
One issue that Amari Rodgers had in returning punts was judging when to catch the ball and when to let it bounce. Doubs did not have a big issue with that in college and hopefully he can eliminate some of the mistakes that Rodgers made a year ago in that department. The result should be better field position for the Packers over the course of the season, something that hurt the club several times in recent years.
Rookie receivers tend to struggle to adjust to the NFL game. Pro playbooks are much thicker and the route trees that receivers are asked to run are much more complex than what they did in college. NFL receivers are also being defended by a much bigger and faster defenders who use better technique than their college counterparts.
By having Watson and Doubs add return duties to their resume this fall, the Packers can upgrade this crucial position and give their rookie wideouts a chance to make additional contributions in their first season in the NFL.
We also know how return specialists have played a key role in past Packers title runs. Travis Williams returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in 1967 and averaged 41.1-yards per runback.
In 1996, Desmond Howard returned three punts for touchdowns during the regular season and one more during the Packers playoff game against San Francisco.
In Super Bowl XXXI, Howard became the first ever special teams player to be…
Read More: Will Christian Watson or Romeo Doubs Help the Packers As Return Specialists?