GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – The Packers moved quickly to appoint a new special team coordinator, promoting special assistant coach Maurice Drayton.
A source confirmed the change a day after coach Matt LaFleur fired Shawn Mennenga after two seasons in that role.
Drayton has been with the team since 2018, a year before LaFleur’s arrival. He has worked for the Indianapolis Colts from 2016 to 17 as an assistant for special teams.
The Packers fought on special teams throughout the season. Blocked kicks, allowed long returns and an ineffective return game cost them field position and momentum at various points during the 13-3 season.
Packers ranked 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special team ranking, widely considered the gold standard for evaluating special teams across the league. They were 26th last season.
Mennenga inherited the worst unit of special teams in the league of 2018, when the Packers came in 32nd place under the command of former coordinator Ron Zook. The Packers also came in last in the league in 2014, under the command of then coordinator Shawn Slocum. The club’s highest ranking in special teams between 2014 and 2020 was 16th in 2017.
A source told ESPN on Wednesday that Drayton was the likely replacement, and the NFL Network reported for the first time that it was made official on Thursday.