Early in free agency, the Green Bay Packers signed veteran wide receiver Skyy Moore to a one-year deal, and it was a move that caught fans by surprise.
Everyone immediately recognized that Moore was being brought in for his abilities as a returner, but considering that Green Bay rarely rosters a specialized returner, the move didn't make much sense on the outside looking in.
On Monday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst explained the team's thinking behind adding Moore, and turns out, it speaks to a bigger philosophy change for the franchise. Speaking with media members at the NFL's annual meetings, Gutekunst argued that signing Moore was a continuation of the emphasis the team has put on special teams in recent years.
"Over the last four or five years, particularly with special teams players, we've tried to identify and acquire some of them. This was really no different. It happened to be as a returner," said Gutekunst. "I do think Skyy's got more in the tank on offense as well. I'll be interested to see how Matt (LaFleur), once he gets to know him, how he sees him and how he'll use him on offense."
"We've improved in a lot of areas, but the return game last year was not where I wanted it to be, and I'm excited to get Skyy into the fold."
Brian Gutekunst believes Skyy Moore can make a difference in Packers' return game
Gutekunst also argued that he believes Moore can still be a weapon offensively, so it'll be interesting to see if he can carve out a role for Green Bay in that phase, but the veteran's main contribution will be on special teams.
The Packers didn't roster a specialist returner last season despite signing Mecole Hardman in free agency. Romeo Doubs led the team in punt returns with 15 attempts for a 6.3-yard average. Moore averaged almost double that number for the San Francisco 49ers.
Moore really broke out as a returner last season in San Francisco, producing as a punt returner and a kick returner. The veteran returned 25 punts for 291 yards and 33 kicks for a total of 907 yards. With Moore leading the way, the 49ers averaged 27.2 yards per kick return, seventh in the league, and 11.6 yards per punt return, ranking 10th in the league.
The Packers, on the other hand, were 22nd in kick return average (25.2) and last in the league in punt return average at just 5.6 yards. Those numbers were just a part of Green Bay's abysmal special teams in 2025.
Rich Bisaccia stepped down as the Packers' special teams coordinator after holding the position for five years, and Green Bay hired Cam Achord. Achord held the same role for the New England Patriots from 2020 to 2023, and served as the assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants for the last two seasons. He'll now try to get Green Bay's unit turned around.