Packers promote several coaches within offensive staff

The Green Bay Packers are making changes in their offensive coaching staff, coach Mike McCarthy announced Friday.

The Super Bowl champions have moved Edgar Bennett to wide receivers coach and promoted Jerry Fontenot to succeed Bennett as running backs coach. The Packers also promoted coaching intern Joel Hilgenberg to offensive quality-control coach and moved John Rushing from offensive quality-control coach to assistant wide receivers/special-teams coach.

"This is something we've been preparing for," McCarthy said. "We feel we have an outstanding coaching staff in all three phases of our football team. We have very good young coaches, and, frankly, I'm excited to promote (them)."

Bennett is entering his seventh season on the Packers' coaching staff. He was the team's running backs coach from 2005 to 2010 and oversaw the development of Ryan Grant, who became only the third running back in Packers history to break the 1,200-yard mark in back-to-back seasons.

"Edgar's extremely excited about expanding his horizons in coaching the wide receivers, and he'll do an outstanding job there," McCarthy said.

Prior to that, Bennett spent four seasons (2001-04) as the Packers’ director of player development. Bennett also played five seasons for the Packers and ranks 10th in team history with 3,353 career rushing yards. He also holds the franchise’s season record for receptions by a running back, with 78, set in 1994.

Fontenot has been Green Bay's assistant offensive line coach the past four seasons. Prior to that, he spent one season as a coaching intern. He had a long NFL playing career as a center, appearing in 239 games with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals during a 16-year NFL career (1989-2004).

Hilgenberg worked as a coaching intern for the Packers during training camp, mini-camp and a portion of organized team activities in 2010, assisting offensive line coach James Campen and Fontenot. Hilgenberg played in 142 games as a center/guard during his 10-year NFL career (1984-93) with the Saints.

Rushing spent the past two seasons as Green Bay’s offensive quality-control coach, his first foray into the NFL after 13 years in the college coaching ranks. He worked with the Packers during training camp in 2008 through the NFL’s Minority Coaching Internship Program before he was hired to the quality-control position in February 2009.

"It's a good coaching staff, and we feel that we need to get better as an offense, and this staff will get it done," McCarthy said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.