The Untold Story of the NFL’s Most Mysterious Coaching Role Few Ever Notice

I tried my best to find the playing backgrounds of everyone involved with NFL special teams, at a coaching level, for the 2025 season. I was able to find all but a couple, so this data is pretty sturdy. The vast majority of people working in the kicking game in the pros were either linebackers, edge defenders, tight ends, defensive backs or receivers. Those are the non-kicking battery positions that play the most on special teams.

For example, here’s how the Packers’ special teams snaps broke down by position in 2025:

Defensive back: 1,098 snaps
Off-ball linebacker: 946
Edge defender: 537
Offensive line: 521 (almost exclusively on field goal protection)
Receiver: 332 (I’m including Bo Melton as a receiver, sue me)
Interior defensive linemen: 328
Running backs: 259
Tight ends: 171
Kicker: 162
Punter: 126
Long snapper: 126

These numbers generally hold up across the league, but it is worth noting that Green Bay uses its offensive players a whole lot less than other teams in the NFL. For example, the Seahawks had a fullback named Brady Russell who played 396 snaps for the team, damn near as many as the Packers’ running back and tight end rooms combined (430) in 2025. You’re gonna be shocked, but the offensive head coach doesn’t want to use his players much in the kicking game, outside of Melton (who was listed as a cornerback this year). While Savion Williams returned kicks, he played the 31st-most snaps on special teams for Green Bay in 2025. Romeo Doubs, who settled in as a punt returner for the team, was ranked 37th. Gameday rosters are limited to just 48 players, for perspective.

As far as I could tell, there are only four coaches who have a kicker, punter or long snapper background in the entire special teams coaching apparatus in the NFL, fewer than the combined number of offensive linemen (who now only play on field goal protection after the dynamic kickoff eliminated their need to play on kickoff return) and quarterbacks (who don’t play special teams now that punters are holders in the kicking game) in similar positions.