PHOENIX – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst does not believe signing Skyy Moore indicated an increased commitment to special teams. To him, the third phase has been prioritized for a few years now, from paying punter Daniel Whelan and kicker Brandon McManus like top-10 players at their positions, to focusing on special-teams traits in players at the bottom of his roster.
But adding a wide receiver whose predominant role likely will be returning punts and kicks in 2026 is a change, something Gutekunst realized he needed to do to revive a dormant return game last season.
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“I think over the last four or five years, particularly with special-teams players,” Gutekunst said March 30 at the NFL owners meetings, “we’ve tried to identify and acquire some. We’ve done that in the past. This was really no different. It happened to be as a returner. I do think Skyy has something more in the tank on offense as well. It’ll be interesting to see how Matt kind of, once he gets to know him, how he sees him and how he’ll use him on offense. But I think over the last four or five years more so than we ever have before, we’ve really tried to target some special-teams guys whether it be free agency or the draft or whatnot, and really improve that group. And I think we have.
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Romeo Doubs, 26 (age at start of 2026 season), wide receiver, unrestricted free agent
An unrestricted free agent is a player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract who is free to negotiate and sign with any team.
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Kingsley Enagbare, 26, defensive end, unrestricted free agent
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John FitzPatrick, 26, tight end, unrestricted free agent
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Nick Niemann, 29, linebacker/special teams, unrestricted free agent
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Sean Rhyan, 28, offensive lineman, unrestricted free agent
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Quay Walker, 26, linebacker, unrestricted free agent
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Rasheed Walker, 26, offensive tackle, unrestricted free agent
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Kristian Welch, 28, linebacker/special teams, unrestricted free agent
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Zayne Anderson, 29, safety/special teams, restricted free agent
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Brenton Cox Jr., 26, defensive end, restricted free agent
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Jonathan Ford, 28, defensive tackle, restricted free agent
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Darian Kinnard, 27, offensive tackle, restricted free agent
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Arron Mosby, 27, defensive end, restricted free agent
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Josh Whyle, 27, tight end, restricted free agent
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Emanuel Wilson, 27, running back, restricted free agent
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Kamal Hadden, 25, cornerback, exclusive rights free agent
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Donovan Jennings, 27, offensive lineman, exclusive rights free agent
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Bo Melton, 27, cornerback/wide receiver, exclusive rights free agent
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Lecitus Smith, 28, offensive lineman, exclusive rights free agent
“I think we’ve improved in a lot of areas, but the return game last year was not where I want it to be, and I’m excited to get Skyy into the fold.”
Moore was among only seven specialists in the league last season to return at least 25 kickoffs and punts. Among that group of full-time returners, his 27.5-yard average on kickoffs and 11.6-yard average on punts ranked third. Though he did not take any of his 58 total returns the end zone, his opening 98-yard return against the Arizona Cardinals was tied for third longest in the league, and his 66-yard punt return against the Cleveland Browns was ninth longest. Moore was among only three specialists with a kick and punt return of at least 60 yards.
The Packers have had nothing like that game-changing potential from their return unit for many years.
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“He was one of the better guys who did both in the league last year,” Gutekunst said. “Just as we went through that and had an opportunity to get him, obviously that was something last year with our special teams that we needed to add to. So I’m excited to get him and see what he can do for us.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Brian Gutekunst says Skyy Moore addresses Packers special-team priority