Elite speed and a small frame allow Skyy Moore to vanish behind blockers before exploding as a punt and kick returner, providing a spark for the Green Bay Packers.
Across the NFL, it probably didn't move the needle all too much. The Green Bay Packers signed wide receiver/kick returner Skyy Moore to a one-year, $2.5 million deal in March of 2026.
Again, that's not the type of deal that gets much attention.
Through two games in the 2026 season, Moore has been a Godsend for the Packers on special teams, though. There's also a realistic chance he ends up playing more of a role in the offense, with Jayden Reed dealing with a back injury that could keep him out for some time.
No matter what role he plays in the slot for the Packers, nothing he does in 2026 will be more important than the spark he's given the special teams unit as a returner.
Especially as a punt returner, Moore has been a game-changer. He's returned six punts for 109 yards so far, which is good for 18.2 yards per return. He leads the league in punt return yards by a large margin. The next closest punt returner is Britain Covey of the Philadelphia Eagles with six returns for 68 yards, or 11.3 yards per return.
Against the New York Jets in Week 2, Moore returned a punt for 63 yards with 4:49 in the fourth quarter and the Packers down three. That set up a game-tying field goal that sent the game into overtime, where the Packers eventually won, 20-17.
None of this is surprising for the Packers, of course. There's a reason they went out and got Moore in the offseason, and that's because he had become known as one of the best special teams players in the NFL thanks to a stellar 2026 season with the San Francisco 49ers.
In 17 games last season for the 49ers, Moore totaled 291 yards on 25 punt return attempts. That was good for 11.6 yards per punt return. As a kick returner, he totaled 907 yards on 33 attempts. That was good for an average of 27.5 yards per return.
He's not the biggest player at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, and in fact, he's extremely small by NFL standards. That helps him as a returner, though, because he's able to almost hide behind the blockers in front of him to find creases and openings. He also has elite speed, having run a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
That blend of speed and elusiveness makes Moore extremely dangerous as a returner. Per special teams coordinator Cam Achord, though, there's more to it than just that. Moore has the intangibles that he looks for in a great returner.
“He does a really good job of being able to field the ball, staying under control, no panic,” Achord said of Moore, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “You look for that in returners. Quiet feet, getting to the ball and understanding the situation, so he does a really good job of that, and our guys obviously know he’s going to pick the ball up sometimes and return it, so they’re going to block for him.”
Whatever it is that Moore has, the Packers are certainly happy that they have him. He's taken what has historically been a weakness for them and turned it into a strength.
