GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mike McCarthy said this offseason that receiver Randall Cobb's status as the team's kick returner will be up to his teammates.

If someone else proved capable in that role, the Green Bay Packers coach would remove Cobb from special teams and allow him to concentrate solely on his duties within the offense -- which are expected to be wide-ranging.

One by one through the first five practices of training camp, the Packers have tried myriad returners: Jeremy Ross, Sam Shields, James Nixon, Loyce Means, Jordy Nelson, Johnathan Franklin and even Omarius Hines (the free agent receiver signed on Monday).

To date, none has shown enough for McCarthy to take Cobb off of special teams. Franklin, for example, muffed a kickoff that came out of the JUGS machine during Wednesday’s practice.

“If we were to play a game tomorrow,” McCarthy said Wednesday, “Randall would be my returner. The opportunities that these young men had, the preseason will sort that out for us.”