Tag: Jack Coco

Cardinals swap out young long snappers for training camp

They add second-year long snapper to the roster at the starting training camp.

The Arizona Cardinals re-signed longtime long snapper Aaron Brewer this offseason after he healed from an injury that ended his season in 2022. However, they have added a young long snapper to the roster.

The team announced the signing of former Green Bay Packers long snappers Jack Coco. He replaces undrafted rookie long snapper Matt Hembrough. Hembrough, signed out of Oklahoma State after going undrafted, was placed on injured reserve with a back injury.

Coco, an undrafted rookie in 2022, signed with the Packers and snapped all 17 games for them last season.

The move suggests one of two things with the presence of Brewer on the roster as well.

One is that the Cardinals would like to have a younger option compete with Brewer for a true roster battle for the job.

The other is, since Brewer is coming back from an injury, the Cardinals want to limit Brewer’s2 snaps in camp and the preseason.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1362 tag=3527]

Packers release long snapper Jack Coco

The Packers will have a new long snapper in 2023. Jack Coco was released on Monday.

The Green Bay Packers will officially have a new long snapper for the 2023 season. The team released long snapper Jack Coco on Monday.

As a first-year player out of Georgia Tech in 2022, Coco handled all the snapping duties for the Packers on kicks and punts during the regular season. He was on the field for 123 special teams snaps and played in all 17 games last season.

The Packers are moving forward with Matt Orzech and Broughton Hatcher at long snapper. Orzech signed a three-year deal in free agency. Hatcher was added following a tryout at the team’s rookie minicamp in Green Bay this past weekend. Orzech was previously the snapper for the Jaguars and Rams, while Hatcher played 35 games as the snapper at Old Dominion between 2018 and 2022.

The Packers are likely to have two new specialists in 2023. Mason Crosby is unsigned, leaving Parker White and sixth-round pick Anders Carlson as the two kickers on the roster. Punter Pat O’Donnell remains.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxb1xg7g19wqdc player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

LS Jack Coco extends Packers’ streak of keeping at least one rookie UDFA

The Packers have kept at least one rookie undrafted free agent on the first 53-man roster for 18 straight years.

Keeping rookie long snapper Jack Coco on the first 53-man roster of the 2022 season extended the Green Bay Packers’ impressive streak of keeping at least one undrafted rookie on the roster to start the year.

Coco is an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech. He beat out incumbent Steven Wirtel to be the team’s long snapper on the first 53-man roster.

As noted by Wed Hodkiewicz of Packers.com, the team’s streak of keeping an undrafted free agent is now at 18 years:

The practice began under former Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who often kept several undrafted rookies on the roster each season. Brian Gutekunst has continued the streak, although he’s carried only one each year over the past four years.

Instead of spending precious cap dollars on veteran free agents, Thompson liked building the fringes of his roster with undrafted rookies. It was cost-effective and allowed the Packers to build on their draft-and-develop philosophy every year, with the undrafted rookies adding to the draft class and keeping the bottom of the roster young and cheap.

A recent case in point: linebacker Krys Barnes, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA who has been a starter at linebacker each of the last two years and will now be a key backup and core special teamer in his third season in Green Bay in 2022.

Oftentimes, the undrafted free agents just fill a hole on the roster for a season or two and move on. In other cases, like Lane Taylor, the Packers find a multi-year starter. And in the rarest of situations, the Packers unearth a Pro Bowler like cornerback Sam Shields.

Gutekunst has been more willing to spend free-agent dollars and claim veteran players off waivers, giving the Packers an older, more experienced team with less wiggle room for undrafted rookies.

The Packers kept Coco on the 53-man roster and signed offensive tackle Caleb Jones and running back Tyler Goodson on the practice squad. Jack Heflin, the team’s lone undrafted free agent to make the team last year, is back on the practice squad for Year 2.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxb1xg7g19wqdc player_id=none image=https://packerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Bisaccia: ‘Big game’ coming up for Packers long snapper Jack Coco

Packers ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia said Friday’s preseason game against the Saints will be a big one for long snapper Jack Coco.

Yes, this is a long snapper story. The Green Bay Packers are still searching for the right one, but the long snapper currently on the roster has an opportunity to take a big step toward winning the job on Friday night.

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said Friday’s preseason game against the New Orleans Saints will be a “big” one for Jack Coco, who beat out Steven Wirtel and was effective during the joint practices but is still competing for the roster spot in Green Bay.

“I think he’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster, but we’re excited about where he is at this particular point. This will be another big game for him,” Bisaccia said Thursday. “I think he understands that he’s competing against 31 other teams. Just because there’s not another one here doesn’t mean we’re not looking at everyone around the league or guys that may not be playing now. So, I think he knows he’s in constant competition.”

Coco snapped for two punts and four field goals or extra points during the Packers preseason opener last Friday night in San Francisco and didn’t have a notable issue.

Achieving some level of trust through consistency is the next step. And a chance to snap during a live preseason game is the perfect stage.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said the Packers could still acquire a veteran long snapper if the need arises, but the team is otherwise happy with Coco’s progress at this point in training camp.

Bisaccia said the Packers liked Coco’s size, history as a position player (tight end) and “tremendous” work ethic coming out of Georgia Tech.

The Packers don’t have many question marks entering the 2022 regular season on offense and defense. The starters are fairly well-defined on both sides. The special teams are a different story, especially with Mason Crosby still recovering from knee surgery and the long snapper battle still unfolding. Amazingly, Coco’s snaps will be something worth watching at Lambeau Field on Friday night.

It’s unclear who the Packers would target at long snapper if Coco isn’t the answer, although Bisaccia’s special teams experience and connections around the league probably mean he has a long list of potential candidates.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxb1xg7g19wqdc player_id=none image=https://packerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=83256,83253,83244]