{"id":267912,"date":"2026-03-03T16:45:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=267912"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T19:59:08","slug":"what-cameron-achord-brings-to-the-packers-special-teams-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/03\/what-cameron-achord-brings-to-the-packers-special-teams-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"What Cameron Achord Brings to the Packers\u2019 Special Teams Unit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Green Bay Packers<\/span><\/span> have officially found their next special teams coordinator, hiring Cameron Achord<\/span><\/span> to replace Rich Bisaccia<\/span><\/span> following his unexpected resignation on February 17. Bisaccia stepped down and is reportedly heading to the college ranks<\/a>, leaving head coach Matt LaFleur<\/span><\/span> <\/a>needing to pivot quickly in a market where most top candidates were already off the board.<\/p>\n

Green Bay cast a wide net. At least seven candidates were interviewed, with four advancing to in-person meetings. According to reports<\/a>, the Packers hosted one coordinator candidate per day from Tuesday through Friday, with Achord serving as the final interview before ultimately landing the job.<\/p>\n

Other known candidates included Kyle Wilber<\/span><\/span>, Colt Anderson<\/span><\/span>, Tom McMahon<\/span><\/span>, Sam Sewell<\/span><\/span>, Devin Fitzsimmons,<\/span><\/span> and Chase Blackburn<\/span><\/span>. Ultimately, LaFleur opted for a coach with prior coordinator experience and familiarity with high-level NFL operations.<\/p>\n

A Proven High-End Ceiling<\/h3>\n

Achord\u2019s biggest selling point is simple: he has done it before. As a special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots<\/span><\/span><\/a> from 2020 through 2023, Achord\u2019s unit finished first in special teams DVOA in his first season running the group.<\/p>\n

Multiple players earned All-Pro recognition during that 2020 campaign. The unit was disciplined, explosive in the return game, and fundamentally sound. For a Packers team that has not fielded a top-ranked special teams unit in decades, that season represents the upside Green Bay is betting on. Achord earned that promotion under Bill Belichick<\/span><\/span> after serving two seasons as an assistant under Joe Judge<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

A Mixed Track Record<\/h3>\n

However, Achord\u2019s tenure in New England did not maintain that same peak. From 2021 to 2023, the Patriots\u2019 special teams rankings fluctuated significantly. Injuries, declining punting production, inconsistent kicking, and penalties plagued portions of those seasons. In 2022, the unit finished last in DVOA despite landing in the middle of traditional rankings.<\/p>\n

After Belichick\u2019s departure following the 2023 season, Achord was not retained by the new regime. He then spent the past two seasons as assistant special teams coach with the New York Giants<\/span><\/span> <\/a>before becoming available again this offseason.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters in Green Bay<\/h3>\n

Special teams have quietly been one of Green Bay\u2019s most persistent weaknesses over the last decade. While Bisaccia helped prevent total collapse, the Packers still finished 20th, 22nd, 27th, and 17th in league rankings during his four-year tenure. The standard in Green Bay does not need to be elite. It needs to be dependable.<\/p>\n

LaFleur\u2019s teams are built to compete deep into January. In tight playoff games, field position, clean execution, and avoiding mistakes can swing momentum and outcomes. The Packers do not need to lead the league in special teams DVOA; they simply cannot afford to lose games because of blocked kicks, coverage breakdowns, or avoidable penalties.<\/p>\n

Achord brings experience coordinating playoff-caliber units and working under one of the most detail-oriented head coaches in league history. He has overseen All-Pro returners and punters. He has also navigated seasons where depth players and injuries forced adjustments.<\/p>\n

What to Expect<\/h3>\n

Expectations should be measured. Green Bay is not hiring Achord to reinvent special teams. The hope is stability, improved discipline, consistent field position, and fewer self-inflicted mistakes. If the Packers can move into the middle tier of league rankings and avoid game-changing errors, the hire will be considered a success.<\/p>\n

Achord\u2019s track record shows both a high ceiling and periods of inconsistency. Now, he inherits a Packers unit that has long searched for reliability in the game\u2019s third phase. If he can provide that, even without elite production, it could quietly make a meaningful difference in Green Bay\u2019s pursuit of contention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Packers hired Cameron Achord to lead special teams. Examining his success in New England and what Green Bay can realistically expect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5764,"featured_media":267950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,6431],"tags":[34253,3566],"class_list":["post-267912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-packers","category-nfl-teams","tag-cameron-achord","tag-matt-lafleur"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5764"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267912"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267949,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267912\/revisions\/267949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}