Potential Replacements For Drayton

Maurice Drayton is still the Packers’ special teams coordinator, but that figures to change in the next few weeks. While coach Matt LaFleur may not want to fire yet another assistant – something he’s already done three times since 2020 – he has no choice after the debacle that took place in last Saturday’s loss to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. In a game Green Bay lost by three points, Drayton’s unit was responsible for giving up 10 points on a missed field goal and a blocked punt. It was a fitting ending to a season that saw the Packers’ special teams finish last in the league.

Once Drayton is officially fired, LaFleur will begin searching for his third special teams coordinator in just four years. It’s impossible to know precisely who will and won’t be available, but the following is a list of some of the top potential candidates:

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE (these candidates are not under contract with any team as of today)

Brayden Coombs – LaFleur was interested in the 35-year-old three years ago, but he wound up going with Shawn Mennenga instead. Coombs was considered a rising star with Cincinnati when the Lions hired him in 2020, and after doing a very good job through the first 13 games of the season, he was abruptly fired for going rogue. He reportedly called for a fake punt against Tennessee without consulting interim head coach Darrell Bevell. This act is probably what kept Coombs unemployed in 2021, and he’d have to convince LaFleur that it was an isolated incident that won’t happen again.

Ben Kotwica – A former Army helicopter pilot, the intense 47-year-old did good work for five seasons in Washington before leaving for Atlanta in 2019. He was fired early in the 2020 season, a few weeks after his unit failed to recover an onside kick in a 40-39 loss to the Cowboys. Kotwica worked with current Green Bay assistants Joe Barry and Kirk Olivadotti in D.C., so they’d certainly be able to give LaFleur feedback on whether he’d be the right person to replace Drayton.

Joe Judge – The former head coach of the Giants made his name as a special teams coordinator under Bill Belichick in New England from 2015 to 2019. His units were always among the best in the league. Whether the 40-year-old would be interested in going back to his old job is unknown, as is whether LaFleur would want another ex-head coach on his staff. His relationship with former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who coached the Browns for two seasons, was never great. LaFleur seems to prefer assistants he’s worked with before or younger assistants who are receptive to his suggestions.

Mike Mallory – LaFleur interviewed the 59-year-old back in 2019 before going in a different direction. Mallory spent eight years (2013 to 2020) coaching special teams in Jacksonville, the first four as coordinator. His unit was one of the best in the league in 2015, but things went south the following season, and he was demoted. It’s hard to imagine that Mallory would be at the top of LaFleur’s list of candidates, but the Packers could do worse – and they have many times this century.

Brian Schneider – This would be a no-brainer if not for some personal issues that forced Schneider to take a leave of absence from the Seahawks in September 2020 and the Jaguars last January. He’s long been regarded as one of the top special teams coordinators in the league, but whether he’s ready to return to coaching is unknown. What else is unknown is whether a team would trust the 50-year-old after what happened in Seattle and Jacksonville. At the very least, LaFleur should do his due diligence and check-in on Schneider, who would be able to fix the mess in Green Bay in no time.

Brad Seely – This would be a longshot since the 65-year-old retired from the Texans after the 2019 season, but LaFleur should at least place a phone call. Seely is one of the greatest special teams coaches in league history, and if the Packers are serious about keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers around to make another couple of runs at the Super Bowl, why not see if Seely is interested in going along for the short ride? Of course, team president and CEO Mark Murphy would have to be OK paying big money to a premier special teams coordinator – something he was unwilling to do three years ago.

Sean Snyder – The son of legendary former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, the 52-year-old has no experience in the NFL, but he’s been one of college football’s best special teams coordinators for a decade. In fact, he was named special teams coordinator of the year in 2015 while working for his father. From 2014 to 2018, his units were consistently ranked in the top 30 in the country in efficiency. Snyder wasn’t retained at USC when Lincoln Riley was hired last month.

COULD BECOME AVAILABLE (these candidates are from teams whose head coach was recently fired)

Rich Bisaccia – Before taking over as interim head of the Raiders for Jon Gruden in October, the 61-year-old cut his teeth as one of the league’s best special teams coordinators for the past two decades. Whether it was in Tampa Bay, San Diego, Dallas, or Oakland/Las Vegas, his units were almost always good. He’s still in the running to keep his current job, but that seems unlikely. If he becomes available, you can be sure plenty of teams will show interest. If LaFleur wants to bring Bisaccia to Green Bay, it will probably cost a lot of money and maybe even the title of assistant head coach.

Danny Crossman – Still employed by the Dolphins, getting the 55-year-old would be a strong hire for LaFleur and the Packers. Crossman has long been regarded as one of the top special teams coordinators in the league. He’s been doing this job since 2005, and except for a couple of rough seasons (2012 and 2018), his units have been solid to very good. Crossman has been praised for his work with specialists, and that skill could come in especially handy considering the Packers are probably going to transition from 15-year veteran Mason Crosby to a younger kicker (perhaps JJ Molson) next season.

Ryan Ficken – In his first season as special teams coordinator for the Vikings after 14 years as an assistant, the 37-year-old did a solid job in 2020. Minnesota’s special teams finished 15th in Rick Gosselin’s respected rankings. Ficken’s most impressive accomplishment was drastically improving kick coverage and the return game. There’s certainly a chance he could be retained by the next head coach of the Vikings, but the Packers should be interested if he’s not. The only potential negative is his lack of experience. LaFleur might prefer somebody with a more proven track record of success.

Thomas McGaughey – The 48-year-old has been a special teams coordinator in the NFL since 2014, and the fact that he was retained when Judge took over as coach of the Giants tells you something about how his peers view him. The Panthers and Chargers have already reached out to McGaughey, who’s still under contract in New York but is expected to leave. Like Drayton, he’s regarded as an energetic coach who gets his players to give 100 percent. Unlike Drayton, his players actually seem to know what the heck they’re doing. LaFleur will have to act pretty quickly if he wants to land McGaughey.

Darren Rizzi – It’s unlikely he’ll be available, especially if defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is promoted to the top job in New Orleans, but you never know. LaFleur wanted to hire Rizzi three years ago, but Green Bay reportedly made the highly-respected 51-year-old a lowball offer. He wound up going to the Saints, where he’s done his usual excellent work. After what happened six days ago in the snow at Lambeau, it’s fair to wonder whether Green Bay would still be playing football had Murphy not been such a cheapskate. Maybe he’ll get a chance to rectify that mistake in the coming weeks.

Frank Ross – The 34-year-old did a very good job in his first season as the special teams coordinator in Houston, and there’s certainly a possibility the new coach could retain him. If not, he won’t be out of work for long. He cut his teeth with the Colts under Bubba Ventrone, and that’s akin these days to working for the Rams’ Sean McVay. Despite his young age, Ross has been in the National Football League since 2011 when Belichick hired him to work as a scout in the Patriots’ personnel department. As is the case with Ficken, there’s a chance he might not be experienced enough for LaFleur.

Chris Tabor – This should be the top choice of any team looking for a new special teams coordinator. Tabor, whom the Packers know well from his work in Chicago, has been excelling in this job since 2011. While it’s likely the new Bears coach will want to retain the 51-year-old, that doesn’t mean he won’t be available. Interestingly, Shawn Mennenga, whom LaFleur hired in 2019 and fired two years later, learned under Tabor in Cleveland. That, along with a strong recommendation from Pettine, is probably what got him the job in Green Bay. LaFleur might now be able to snag the teacher.