Meet Cam Achord: The Packers' secret special teams weapon - ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — He wears cleats to practice even though he won't take a snap. He runs stride for stride with the kick returners, yet he doesn't have a ball in his hands. He takes a knee to demonstrate how kickers want the ball angled, but he's not a holder. He'll even throw himself — nose first — into a player even though he's not in pads.

He's Cam Achord, and he's here to change everything you ever thought about the Green Bay Packers' special teams.

The 39-year-old Mississippian is part your father's football coach with a hands-on, foul-mouthed approach, and part Gen Z analytics savant.

«He's one of a kind, there's no doubt about that,» former New England Patriots special teams star Matthew Slater, who played for Achord from 2018 to 2023, told ESPN. «When you said that he's still running around out there with cleats on, I couldn't help but laugh to myself.»

Not because Slater finds Achord funny. More a shake of the head because he still can't believe some of the things Achord does on the field.

«He wanted to make sure that we were prepared, even if that meant putting his body on the line,» said Slater, a five-time All-Pro selection as a special-teamer. «I've seen Cam break a nose. I've seen him on the ground several times, but it's all in the name of ensuring that his players are ready to go. As a player, as a pro, you really have to appreciate that.»

THE BROKEN NOSE story was largely unknown outside of the Patriots' inner circle before coach Matt LaFleur hired Achord in late February to replace Rich Bisaccia who unexpectedly resigned.

It happened in 2019, when Achord was a Patriots assistant special teams coach. One day in practice, Achord was putting Justin Bethel, Slater and the other gunners through a drill