In the middle of all the hubbub surrounding the NFL Combine, the Green Bay Packers had to navigate a strange situation. They suddenly needed to replace a coordinator late in February.
On February 17th, Rich Bisaccia let the team know he was stepping down as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. This was not a firing. Coach Bisaccia chose to step away from his role.
Matter of fact, the Packers were full steam ahead in planning for 2026 thinking Bisaccia to would return. General manager Brian Gutekunst said of the departure, “I wouldn’t say we were expecting it at all.” This decision came as a complete surprise to the organization.
Obviously, we don’t know why Bisaccia left, but the timing was rough. By the time the decision was made, most special teams coordinator jobs around the league had already been filled, and Green Bay was left sorting through what remained.
Not ideal.
So the question became: who would Matt LaFleur choose to replace him?
Who is the new Packers’ Special Teams Coordinator?
Cam Achord began his NFL coaching career as a special teams assistant under Joe Judge with the New England Patriots. During Achord’s time as an assistant, New England’s special teams units ranked 11th and 3rd in 2018 and 2019, respectively, according to Rich Gosselin’s annual rankings.
Achord became New England’s main special teams coordinator in 2020 once Judge left for the Giants.
In his first season as the lead special teams coordinator, the Patriots ranked 1st overall in special teams. After that, the rankings went: 18th in 2021, 16th in 2022, and 13th in 2023.
If you remove that first-place season, the results still aren’t bad. Packers fans would probably be thrilled with an 18th-ranked unit at this point. And even in the years after 2020, the Patriots remained competitive in that phase before Achord was not retained under former head coach Jerod Mayo.
For the past two seasons, Achord has served as the assistant special teams coordinator with the Giants.
What Can Fans Expect?
Honestly? Don’t expect drastic change.
The Packers’ special teams units have been generationally bad for over a decade — maybe longer. And that’s not strictly a coaching issue. It’s a franchise-wide approach issue. Green Bay simply hasn’t consistently prioritized special teams in roster construction. I mean, they didn’t even have a true returner last year.
Cam Achord could be the best special teams coordinator in football, and we might not even know it if the player acquisition to support that unit doesn’t improve.
That said, if Achord can maximize the players he does have and get them performing at a high level, maybe the Packers can at least become middle of the pack in special teams.
And honestly, that might be enough to get them over the hump.
But “good enough” isn’t good enough. The Packers need to put real emphasis on special teams. Maybe this situation is the wake-up call they need.
I believe Cam Achord could be the guy to right the ship.
But he has to be supported.
Only time will tell.
As always,
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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