GREEN BAY — Shawn Slocum doesn't foresee any change in the Green Bay Packers' approach to returns this week at Baltimore, as the club's special teams coordinator will use Randall Cobb, Johnathan Franklin and Micah Hyde situationally, just as he did last week against Detroit.
Slocum also said running back Michael Hill and cornerback James Nixon, both of whom have been promoted from the practice squad recently, are in the mix, although they appear unlikely.
Cobb the team's leading receiver with 25 catches, worked only on punts and not kickoffs against the Lions.
"Using more than one returner is not uncommon," Slocum said after practice Thursday. "You'd like to have one; we had a luxury the last couple years with Randall just catching everything, doing it all. Baltimore has used four or five guys on their kickoff return so far this season.
"That's one of the things that we deal with. We'll make the best decision for where we are structurally as an active roster. With Micah and Randall on our punt returns I feel good; they've both been secure with the football. And we've got Johnathan, Michael and Micah and Randall available on kickoff returns, and James Nixon, the whole time he's been here has worked as a returner as well."
One person who won't be in the mix is Reggie Dunn, who was released from the practice squad Thursday when the team added center Garth Gerhart, who was in camp with the club this summer. Slocum said Dunn, who had five returns for touchdowns in college at Utah, could return to the team later, Slocum said.
"We haven't discussed it fully with me, but Reggie's a good young prospect. I'm sure he's potentially still in our plans," Slocum said. "We needed to go a different direction right now. It's not uncommon in this league to address a certain issue and that's what we decided to do."
Jason Wilde  wrote: