When the Green Bay Packers lined up for kickoff return during Friday’s practice, it wasn’t Amari Rodgers, Randall Cobb or Romeo Doubs leading the group of returners.
It was receiver-turned-cornerback Rico Gafford, according to Bill Huber of SI.com.
Maybe the speedy former Raider can give Rich Bisaccia’s special teams a jolt in the return game.
“He’s a guy that can definitely give us some speed on special teams,” coach Matt LaFleur said Saturday.
Gafford, who switched from cornerback to receiver while with the Raiders, moved back to cornerback at the request of LaFleur, who believed playing defense would give Gafford the best chance of making the 53-man roster.
Special teams will play a huge part in his quest to make the team. While he was up first for returning kicks on Friday, Gafford was also one of the gunners for the No. 1 kickoff coverage group, providing even more versatility and potential value as Bisaccia and LaFleur sort through the special teams options and try to find the best fits for the third group.
Gafford has only returned one kickoff in his NFL career, a 12-yard return while with the Raiders.
He did return kicks in college.
At Wyoming, Gafford returned seven kickoffs for 140 yards. Before transferring to Wyoming, Gafford returned 18 kickoffs for 460 yards at Iowa Western at the Junior College level.
He certainly has the speed to return kicks. Gafford ran the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds at Wyoming’s pro day in 2018 and is now one of the fastest players on the Packers roster.
Gafford came into training camp with a cool story. He’s quickly positioning himself to make a real run at a roster spot. The Packers lack depth at cornerback, and Gafford is getting legitimate opportunities to make an impact on special teams this summer.
