Packers special-teams coordinator Cam Achord discussed improvements needed for the team's special teams. He highlighted the strong coverage units but acknowledged the poor return game and kicker Brandon McManus's struggles last season.
Key points
Cam Achord is the new special-teams coordinator for the Packers.
The Packers' coverage units ranked 4th in net punt coverage last season.
The return games were ranked 29th and 21st, indicating poor performance.
Kicker Brandon McManus missed three key kicks in a playoff loss.
Mentioned in this story
Green Bay PackersCam AchordBrandon McManus
GREEN BAY − New Green Bay Packers special-teams coordinator Cam Achord conducted a news conference on Monday, May 4, his first session with the media since coach Matt LaFleur hired him in late February.
Achord is taking on the challenge of turning around special teams that have been an organizational shortcoming for most of the past 25 years.
For instance, the Packers coverage units last season were fine – they finished No. 4 in net punt coverage, and No. 11 in starting field position after kicking off. But their return games were abysmal (Nos. 29 and 21), and kicker Brandon McManus had midseason struggles because of a quad injury and then missed three big kicks (two field goals and an extra point) in the Packers’ season-ending 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in an NFC wild-card playoff game.
But Achord said one of the reasons the Packers job was attractive is there are players on the roster who can make for good special teams.
Green Bay Packers special-teams coordinator Cam Achord meets with the media May 4 at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay Packers special-teams coordinator Cam Achord meets with the media May 4 at Lambeau Field.
“I think there‘s pieces in place, there’s players here, and I think Matt understands that the kicking game − he's been great for me already,” Achord said. “There's an opportunity here to improve and get better. There's already pieces here.
“You're not going into a situation where like, ‘Oh man, we’re definitely starting from scratch with everything.’ There was obviously a lot of toughness about the team and stuff like that. There were just a little bit of things when you looked at it, obviously [punter] Daniel Whelan was Daniel, those type of things. But there’s enough pieces that you’re like, ‘Hey, we have an opportunity to be successful in the kicking game.’”
Q&A
What did Cam Achord say about the Packers' special teams?
Cam Achord stated that the Packers have the necessary pieces in place to improve their special teams, which have been a long-standing issue.
How did the Packers' special teams perform last season?
Last season, the Packers' coverage units ranked 4th in net punt coverage and 11th in starting field position, but their return games were ranked 29th and 21st.
What issues did kicker Brandon McManus face last season?
Brandon McManus struggled with a quad injury and missed three crucial kicks during the Packers' season-ending loss to the Bears.
When was Cam Achord hired as the Packers' special-teams coordinator?
Cam Achord was hired as the Packers' special-teams coordinator in late February.
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Achord has coached special teams in the NFL for a decade, including as coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2020-23 under former coach Bill Belichick. He then became a special-teams assistant with the New York Giants the past two years but was fired this offseason with the rest of the coaching staff when the team hired John Harbaugh as coach.
The Packers’ special-teams job opened unexpectedly late in the hiring cycle when Rich Bisaccia notified the team in late February that he wasn’t going to return. Achord did not have a job when LaFleur interviewed him, though he said he had a couple potential options besides the Packers.
Achord is a protege of former Giants coach Joe Judge, who as New England’s special-teams coordinator in 2018 brought him to the NFL from Southwest Mississippi Community College. The two had worked together at Southern Mississippi in 2012, when Judge was an offensive assistant.
“Let’s start with the fundamentals,” Achord said of his approach to special teams. “When we go out to the field, we’re going to start there. We're not going to get into a bunch of scheme. We’ve got to do the little things right, because then you’ve laid the foundation. We're going to lay a foundation and then we’ll start maximizing that. It’s putting the guys in situations to be successful.”
Why Cam Achord liked kicker Trey Smack
After trading up for kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Achord was among those who had a big say in the evaluation of the kicker.
When Achord was asked what he liked about Smack after scouting him, he said:
“Straight ball, accuracy. His ball doesn’t move a lot. For me, I don’t need a guy, and I've been blessed to coach a lot of guys that are really good, I don’t need a guy that can kick it 65 yards, personally. I want the guy that’s going to put it through consistently from 58, 55.
“Because again, we’re playing in Green Bay. When I was coaching in New England, coaching at Met Life [Stadium with the Giants], we played in elements. You’re not going to need the 60-yard ball all the time. You're going to need the 45-yard ball with the 14-mph crosswind. His ball not moving and stuff like that was definitely a big part.”
For now, Achord is working with three kickers: McManus, Smack and Lucas Havrisik. Achord said he’s worked with as many as four kickers at a time in the past, so getting reps for all of them will not be a problem if all three remain on the roster.
Cam Achord has the ‘junior college’ edge
Accord credits his five years as an assistant coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College as crucial to his education as a coach.
Because the coaching staff was so small there, he held multiple coaching positions each year. In his final season, he was special-teams coordinator, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and tight ends coach. He also was recruiting coordinator.
“I think some of the best coaches are people that coached small-college ball,” he said, “whether that’s Division II, Division III, junior college. Because you have to wear a lot of hats. It makes you put the stuff that’s really important in a bucket, and let’s take care of that.
“... You’ve got to lay out your day, you've got to be organized. That really helped me with the organization process, because not only were you scripting for the offense, you’ve got to turn around script for special-teams practice, then you had to let the other coaches know where to go, what to do, because you have to use everybody as a coach during the drills. I'd say it helped me develop into a lot better coach.”
