Cheese Curds, 8/28: Packers’ Wednesday moves bolster special teams

Cheese Curds, 8/28: Packers’ Wednesday moves bolster special teams
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Rich Bisaccia has another madman for his special teams units. On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers addressed their lack of linebackers on the 53-man roster by signing Nick Niemann, bolstering the depth at that position while adding a proven special teams contributor — and one who clearly loves being in that role.

Niemann’s own words demonstrate the attitude he’ll bring to teams, and it’s one that Bisaccia should love. After all, this is the coordinator who has loved players like Zayne Anderson and Dallin Leavitt — guys who have spent their careers as special teams stalwarts — and Keisean Nixon, who came to Green Bay mainly for his contributions on those units.

But Niemann isn’t the only addition on Wednesday who will help Bisaccia out. The Packers were able to keep two players on the practice squad who have been key pieces of those units over the past two years in linebacker Kristian Welch and defensive end Arron Mosby, both of whom were at least mildly surprising cuts on Tuesday. Mosby logged 150 defensive snaps last year, but was on the field for 241 special teams plays; Welch was elsewhere in 2024, but posted 210 special teams snaps in 2023.

Then there’s Mecole Hardman, who also is back on the practice squad. Hardman could be a candidate to get elevated to the gameday roster to return punts in week one, particularly with Jayden Reed’s status in question due to a Jones fracture in his foot.

Those three players returning to the organization is great news for the depth at their respective positions, but also for their potential special teams contributions. If anyone should be happy today about these signings, it should be Bisaccia.

5 things to know about new Packers LB Nick Niemann | Packers.com Niemann fits the bill as a Packers type: he’s a bit undersized, an elite athlete…and he’s from Iowa.

New Packers LB Nick Niemann Wants to ‘Dominate on Special Teams’ | SI.com
He knows where his bread is buttered, however, and he sounds determined to make a major impact for Bisaccia’s units, saying that he will “try to be a problem” for opponents in the third phase.

5 things to know about new Packers practice squad QB Clayton Tune | Packers Wire Meanwhile, the Packers have a new QB3, and he’s already very familiar with Matthew Golden as the two played together at the University of Houston in 2022.

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Dan Graziano’s bold prediction for the Packers is that Jordan Love will be an MVP finalist this season. You’ll hear no complaints from APC if that comes true!

Why explosion of NFL QB contracts has drastically altered how teams build rosters | The Athletic ($) This article shows that QB deals are going up faster than the salary cap, with the position taking up a bigger proportion of the cap than it did 10 or 15 years ago. That’s forcing some teams to adjust their attitude...