A Return Specialist is a Must for Packers
No more plug and pray at KR/PR
By GregMeinholz
The Green Bay Packers are the only team in history to have had a special teams player be awarded the title of Super Bowl MVP. Almost thirty years ago, in Super Bowl XXXI, Desmond Howard was given the award after earning 244 all-purpose yards. That includes 90 punt return yards, 154 kickoff return yards, and a touchdown. There is very little doubt about the spark Desmond Howard created for the already dangerous 1996 Packers team. He demonstrated that every role can be crucial, no matter how minimal it may seem.
The fact is, kick returners are often on the roster bubble every single preseason. Unless they provide some clear value on offense or defense, a return specialist is often fighting for his life every summer. And that's exactly how Desmond Howard's Packers career began. Howard was a preseason pickup who barely saw the field. It wasn't until the second preseason game against the Steelers at Lambeau Field that Howard took a punt return 77 yards for a touchdown that the Packers cemented him as their return man and didn't look back.
As a former Heisman Trophy winner and the number four overall pick in the 1992 draft, Howard would be considered by many standards to have been a draft bust. He wasn't the dynamic play-making wide receiver the Redskins or the Jaguars had thought he'd be in his stints with each team before the Packers, but he showed the potential to be a weapon in the return game, so the Packers pulled the trigger in bringing him to Green Bay. Sometimes, a chance is all a player like Howard needs.
Last season, the Packers were dismal at best in the return game. Punt and kick returns seemed to be a revolving door of returners, with the Packers ranking dead last in punt return average and tying for 22nd in kick return average. It got to the point where all you could hope for with a Packers returner was that they wouldn't fumble it; everything after that was a bonus. The Packers tried to prevent this issue from happening before the season even got underway by signing wide receiver/return specialist Mecole Hardman, but Hardman failed to show any kind of spark at all before being released from the Packers' practice squad in late September.
Look to the Skyy
In an attempt to get ahead of the issue this season, the Packers were quick to sign wide receiver/return specialist Skyy Moore in free agency. Moore has had an NFL career similar to the start of Desmond Howard's so far. Though Moore was selected late in the second round, and not very early in the first, like Howard, Moore was expected to be a dynamic playmaker for the Chiefs. Alongside injuries, things didn't pan out, though, and along with a 2027 seventh-round pick, Moore was traded to the 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
To be valued so little that you're only worth a late-round pick-swap in a draft two years in the future gave Moore a reason to show he deserved better. In 2025, Skyy Moore found some success as a return specialist in San Francisco, earning 1198 yards between punt and kick returns, averaging 27.5 yards on kicks and 11.6 yards on punts.
With Packers players not even coming close to these totals last season, Moore basically becomes the de facto KR/PR1. And the Packers need him to hold on to that title. He played a major role in turning around a dismal 49ers special teams in 2025, and now he has a shot at doing the same with the Packers.
While many teams may not want to use a roster spot on a "return specialist," they don't want to add unnecessary wear and injury risk to their offensive and defensive weapons. In 2026, the Packers will be looking to Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Keisean Nixon to play big roles on offense and defense; they won't want them adding extra snaps on special teams. So, a return specialist is a "must." Even if the specialist doubles as WR6.
Players like Skyy Moore and Desmond Howard don't get the credit they often deserve. In fact, there are still many who argue that Brett Favre should've received the Super Bowl XXXI MVP instead. But sometimes, it's that overlooked player who's fighting for a roster spot who can be the difference between another season with a playoff loss or hoisting the Lombardi trophy. Moore took advantage of his chance in San Francisco; now it's his chance to take things even further and make his career unforgettable.
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Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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Comments (17)
MitchAnthony
April 01, 2026 at 09:57 am
Clean up the damn penalties on ST. Don't let any chance of a good return get negated by idiot penalties in the return game. That would also be a good start.
golfpacker61
April 01, 2026 at 10:56 am
Mitch, it always amazes me that such great athletes can't figure out when and when not to try to block legally on returns. The block in the back not only negates any better field position the returner gave the offense but also loses yardage with the penalty. Other than taunting, it is the dumbest penalty a player can get and they should be fined when they get either one.
HawkPacker
April 01, 2026 at 10:38 am
Gute likes to double down a lot when signing players like he did with the Smith Brothers and Rashan Gary as well as the two TE's they drafted a few years ago.
Let's go ahead and get Wetjen from Iowa. He can also play WR. I just read again today that Coach Ferentz said he was the best he ever coached.
Get it done.
Cheezehead72
April 01, 2026 at 10:46 am
UDFA yes
golfpacker61
April 01, 2026 at 11:06 am
"I just read again today that Coach Ferentz said he was the best he ever coached."
Yeah HP, and Wetjen was also 1 of the most underused players while at Iowa. Yes, Ferentz would let him run those stupid jet sweeps and tunnel screens, but I would have loved for the Hawks to have thrown him the ball on simple slants 5 times every game, and watch people miss trying to hit him.
In an article today I read Ferentz is excited about the transfer portal WRs they got for this year. It said the Hawk WRs needed a serious upgrade. Well, how many WRs transferred out the last 6-7 years because we never threw to them. I laughed because our terrible QB play was a bigger reason WRs never had good years at Iowa.
I have hope for a passing game in 2026. Fingers crossed.
Starrbrite
April 01, 2026 at 01:11 pm
Right on—good call Hawk.
Cheezehead72
April 01, 2026 at 10:48 am
Skyy could be the spark plug that provides the spark but a good spark plug is useless in an engine that does not have fuel.
Its a step in the right direction but there is a lot of fixing that needs to happen to get the engine running on all cylinders.
golfpacker61
April 01, 2026 at 11:10 am
I think Mecole Hardman was pretty used up when he came to GB, I will give Gute credit for the effort. Moore is a different animal though, I will share what I have read in multiple articles recently that explains some of the troubles Moore had in KC before they pulled the plug.
I have read multiple articles the last 2 days about Skyy Moore and they all said the same thing, we shouldn't overlook his ability to contribute in other ways to our offense. Apparently he is a very good blocking WR which always endears a player to the coaching staff, making a strong effort blocking means you are team player not a WR "Diva."
The articles also explained his "demise" in KC came from being asked to do something he had never done, kick & punt returning. Several muffs led to him losing confidence in himself, both in catching kicks and as a WR. KC didn't give him as many opportunities to catch passes his first 2 years, only 43 catches for under 500 yards.
He missed all of 2024 with injuries and the Chiefs decided to give up on him and made a trade with the 49ers. The NFL writers were really surprised the 49ers didn't re-sign Moore but that's our gain and their loss. I think Skyy will have a good year both ways and be re-signed in 2027 when we can't afford Reed.
Alberta_Packer
April 01, 2026 at 11:51 am
Valuing the importance of STs - particularly KRs and PRs - has long been a blind spot for the Packers FO. It seems that after all these years they have finally realized that their half-hearted and frugal approach to ST construction has not worked. Also thinking that this mindset had something to do with Basaccia leaving the Packers.
Starrbrite
April 01, 2026 at 01:13 pm
It’s finally time we get this corrected—I’ve been bitchin about this for years.
Go Packers!!!
Swisch
April 01, 2026 at 02:48 pm
I'm not so sure the Packers beat the Patriots in that Super Bowl without Howard.
The Patriots kept coming back. It took those two memorable sacks by Reggie White toward the end of the game to seal the deal.
Although my memory fades in a disconcerting ways, I recall Howard as a key figure not only in that Super Bowl, but in other playoff games that season and the next, when the Packers made it to the Super Bowl but lost. I kind of remember one game against the 49ers in which he shone as a returner to help secure a victory.
Maybe others can fill in the gaps.
My takeaway is that it's extremely smart to try to find a difference-maker in the return game. With so many good teams in the NFL vying for the title, a guy like Skyy Moore could put the Packers over the top.
Why not try? We should be looking for every advantage to make what looks like a very good Packers team for 2026 into a great one.
Finally, I'll try to resist saying once again that I'm glad the Packers reached for the Skyy to put Moore into their return game. Oops!
Since'61
April 01, 2026 at 09:53 pm
Swisch - just to clarify; Howard was with the Packers for the entire 1996 season and obviously through the playoffs and their SB victory. However he left the Packers after the "96 season.and spent the next two season with the Oakland Raiders. He returned to the Packers in 1999 but only played in 8 games with the Packers and he finished the 1999 season with the Lions. Howard retired in Detroit after the 2002 season.
Thanks, Since '61
Swisch
April 01, 2026 at 11:24 pm
Thanks for the kindly correction, Since'61.
I truly didn't remember that Howard left the Packers after the 1996 season.
Matt
April 01, 2026 at 02:52 pm
Before Skyy acquisition I wanted Packers to draft Aaron Anderson.
MooPack
April 01, 2026 at 10:54 pm
I'm full on board with other Iowa Hawkeye fans. WR/Returner Kaden Wetjen. 7th round or UDFA.
Career 27.5 kickoff return average and 2 TD's (2025 - 29.8 and 1 TD). Career 17.5 punt return average and 4 TD's (2025 - 26.8 and 3 TD).
Seabassmtg
April 02, 2026 at 06:18 am
This is nothing but another deflection. They could hire Deon Sanders as a returner and MLF wouldn’t know what to do with him.
golfpacker61
April 03, 2026 at 08:10 am
During a recent interview, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins shared his experience with the team in 2024. The 33-year-old didn't hold back on the topic, leaving the door open for a possible return.
"We played ball in KC. We had fun. We got Pat Mahomes out there. Ain't no script. Ain't no you run a route like this. S*** is get open." said Hopkins, "Play ball, read Pat. That's why they win. That's why Andy Reid is the goat. So, you know, s***, they're gonna keep winning. Gotta have fun."
Maybe this explains some of Skyy Moore's receiving issues in KC. I guess when it works they go to the Super Bowl, when it doesn't their WRs and offense struggles .