For young players trying to secure a spot on the roster, special teams, not play on at their particular position is what can earn them a coveted spot on the 53 man roster. Particularly this season, where a perpetually struggling unit, is yet again looking to rebuild under new Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia. He brings a wealth of experience as a special teams and leader of men. If anybody can right the ship, it’s Bisaccia. One of the first order of business will be to add an infusion of athleticism to his units. Like most years, Green Bay’s roster is ripe with players who fit the bill this year. Three new faces at deep position groups could be exactly what Bisaccia needs to begin reconstructing the Packers special teams.

Samori Toure

The final draft pick the Packers made in the 2022 draft was Samori Toure. A productive wide receiver at both Montana and Nebraska, he will likely look to break into the NFL on special teams. He enters training camp in an extremely unknown but crowded depth chart. If he wants to convince the Packers that they should keep him on the 53 man roster, he will need to quickly prove he belongs on special teams. Bisaccia values players who can demonstrate mastery of the schemes. Toure clearly can learn quickly, as he had a breakout season with Nebraska the year after he transferred from Montana. While the NFL is a completely different beast, Toure showing he belongs is his best route to a roster spot.

Tariq Carpenter

6th round rookie Tariq Carpenter is another player at a deep position that could make a quick impact on special teams. He is an impressive athlete out of Georgia Tech. 6-foot-3, 230lb defenders who have 4.52 40 yard dashes don’t exactly grow on trees. When you turn on the film he’s a heat seeking missile, consistently blowing up ball carriers. He’s not a stranger to special teams either, having played them frequently in college. On the Packers, he faces a uphill climb to playing time on defense at either Safety or Inside Linebacker. For Bisaccia on the other hand, he’s exactly the type of player that you build your units around. It is easy to see how Carpenter could rapidly become a cornerstone on special teams while he takes time to develop on defense.

Keisean Nixon

The player with the biggest resume on this list, Keisean Nixon played for Bisaccia last year in Las Vegas, primarily on special teams. While he may contribute on defense this year, his quickest path to a roster spot is locking down a position on special teams. He as a massive advantage over most other players vying for positions; he already knows what Bisaccia wants and his playbook. During training camp, he could rapidly establish himself as a core special teamer. Additionally, his special teams prowess could help him stand out in a crowded back end of the cornerback room, earning him additional opportunities on defense as well to fully assess what he can contribute to the team.

Jordan is a lifelong Packer fan who grew up in Idaho and now lives in Seattle, Washington. You can follow him on twitter at @jordantwolf.

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