Offseason moves reaffirm Packers' commitment to special teams

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"It's definitely helped us," said Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga of Ervin's addition late last season. "He's willing to take chances and has done a good job fielding the ball and running through some contact and things like that.


"It's been the perfect recipe where he's back there and he's confident (and) our guys are confident in him."


The re-signing of Ervin is just one example of the emphasis the Packers have placed on special teams this offseason. Gutekunst also retained longtime kicker Mason Crosby and core special-teamer Will Redmond, who led the unit with nine coverage tackles in 2019.


Gutekunst, often not one to say too much prior to free agency, made it clear in a February interview with Green Bay reporters that it was a priority to bring back Crosby, the second-longest tenured player on the roster to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.


The franchise's all-time leading scorer enjoyed a career year in 2019, making 22-of-24 field goals and 40-of-41 extra points. His 91.7-percent conversion rate tied Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud for the best single-season field-goal percentage in franchise history.


It came during a year in which kicking was down league-wide, as Crosby was one of only five kickers with more than 20 attempts who made more than 90 percent of his field goals.


Crosby, 35, has been dependable throughout his 13 NFL seasons to date. He currently leads all active NFL kickers with 208 consecutive regular-season games played, with Buffalo's Stephen Hauschka (148) the next closest behind.


"Really happy to have him back," said Gutekunst of Crosby at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "Obviously, he's been a 14-year pro now. Holds all his records. I think by the time he's done with us – at least in our lifetime – it'll be pretty hard for anybody to catch that."