A young Randall Cobb might be the only real return specialist the Green Bay Packers have had in the past 15 years. Skyy Moore won't double-duty as a volume receiver like Cobb, but he is already injecting life into special teams as a punt returner after the Packers toggled between receivers Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed in recent seasons.
Okay, so one return for 14 yards in a preseason game isn't much. Or anything. That's what Moore contributed, along with one catch for 11 yards, against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday.
Pardon Packers fans our optimism. In 2025, Green Bay finished 30th in total punt-return yards (146) and dead last in average yards per runback (5.6). Moore's 14-yard return was six yards fewer than the Packers' longest last season (20, which ranked 29th). He has a resume of producing in the role. We'll take it.
Skyy Moore can infuse Packers special teams with new life
On only five more opportunities, Moore doubled the Packers' production for the San Francisco 49ers: 25 returns for 291 yards, including a long of 66. He averaged 11.6 yards to Green Bay's 5.6. Throw out the longest runbacks and he still posted an average of 9.37 yards versus 5.04 between Doubs, Reeds, Matthew Golden, and Keisean Nixon.
Of course, special teams coverage plays a role in creating lanes for a returner, but the bigger problem for the Packers last season was simply a lack of explosion. It's why they signed Moore this offseason. Even against a preseason Steelers squad, a double-digit runback is encouraging.
Moore did not impress likewise as a pass-catcher, dropping a pair of passes and likely damaging his case as a go-to depth option in the receiver room. He did have a six-yard run on a reverse, showcasing his potential as a gadget threat.
Interestingly, the Packers did not deploy him as a kick returner, despite his effectiveness in that role for the 49ers. In 2025, Moore returned 33 kickoffs for 907 yards; his 27.5 average would have ranked sixth among NFL teams. He ripped off a 98-yard return, while no Packer scampered for more than 36. The Packers ranked 23rd in average yards per return.
Against Pittsburgh, maybe they just wanted to spread reps around. Each of Savion Williams, J. Michael Sturdivant, and running back Jaden Nixon returned a kickoff. It's also possible that the plan is to stick with Williams, after he served as the primary option as a rookie.
Whatever the case, even limited to punts, Moore would give the Packers' special teams a considerable upgrade. Any excuse is a good one, even a mundane moment in the preseason, to keep harping on it.
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