Packers: Signing Pat O’Donnell a breath of fresh air

There you have it. The Green Bay Packers have signed their first new free-agent addition to their 2022 roster. It was the exact type of player that they needed.

Green Bay signed eight-year veteran and former Chicago Bears punter Pat O’Donnell to a two-year, $4 million deal, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. This move comes on the heels of the team not retaining Corey Bojorquez, who some thought brought a lot of improvement to the position.

Believe it or not, O’Donnell is an upgrade over Bojorquez. First, let’s look at the statistics. It is worth noting that O’Donnell has been punting for twice as long as Bojorquez has. Regardless, Bojorquez has 92 career punts that were pinned inside the 20. O’Donnell has more than twice that as he has 200 career pinned punts inside the 20.

They both have similar averages. Bojorquez sits at 45.4. O’Donnell at 45.1. However, Bojorquez has four career punts that were blocked. O’Donnell has just two. Most times, blocked punts are not on the punter but still, Packers fans know the importance of that. For what it’s worth, O’Donnell does have a career passer rating of 158.3 as he is 1/1 on passing attempts.

It’s clear that the former Bear is more experienced. However, maybe the most important part about O’Donnell is that he has punted and been a holder in the cold for eight seasons. Bojorquez’s play tailed off towards the end of the season as the weather changed.

He started shanking punts. He started pinning teams less and less. Part of the struggles in the field goal unit could be attributed to the punter not being able put the ball down firmly and spin it with the laces out. O’Donnell’s experience doing that in the Windy City for eight seasons at a high level can help improve both the punt team and the field goal team for Green Bay.

At Lambeau field, old man winter comes a calling pretty early and can be a huge advantage or disadvantage depending on what team you are. O’Donnell will give the Packers a big advantage down the stretch. It’s a fantastic signing because it’s under-the-radar. It’s a cheaper move. It’s an upgrade. It’s a win-now move.

Matt LaFleur, Rich Bisaccia, and Brian Gutekunst have a very real chance at striking gold here. After two offseason moves that include hiring an experienced, personable ST coordinator in Bisaccia and now, an experienced, cold-weather punter who knows how to operate at a high level, the Packers’ special teams is in a much better place. We aren’t even at the draft yet. Super Bowl moves are being made on Lombardi Avenue.