With receiver Mecole Hardman’s fortunes turning south over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asked one question over and over: Well, if Hardman isn’t going to return punts in 2025, who will it be? My answer is simple: receiver Jayden Reed. The Green Bay Packers’ punt return game will probably be below average again this year.

That’s unsatisfactory for a lot of fans, but I want to explain how we’re getting to Reed being the return man on punts year after year. To start, we really have to understand what a punt returner even is.

According to Pro Football Reference’s season finder, 45 punt returners have recorded at least as many returns over the last two years as both Reed (25) and Keisean Nixon (18). Per PFR’s listed heights and weights, the average return man is 5’9” and 183 pounds. Of

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