Safety a Low Key Need for Green Bay Packers this Offseason
Given its importance and the lack of depth at the position, safety is a low-key need that we could see the Green Bay Packers address this offseason.
By Paul_Bretl
Free agency and how the Green Bay Packers salary cap situation unfolds is going to play a huge role in determining what some of their key needs are heading into the draft--this is almost always the case.
But right now, as we look at the roster, a few of the depleted positions include linebacker, receiver, and interior defensive linemen. Not to mention that the cornerback depth is very thin despite having a strong duo in Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, and addressing the edge rusher position should also be on the to-do list.
But another key need that seems to be flying under the radar at this time is safety. Adrian Amos is entering the final year of his current deal, and although there are cap savings to be had if Green Bay moved on from him, that is not the smart move to make.
At 28-years-old, Amos has cemented himself as one of the best safeties in the game with his reliability -- you can always count on him to be in the right spot -- and his durability--he has led the defense in snaps the last two seasons and finished second in 2019. In fact, Amos should be in line for an extension this offseason, which would keep him in Green Bay beyond 2022 and lower his current cap hit.
However, beyond Amos, there are some question marks. I certainly still expect Darnell Savage to play a big role in 2022, but he is coming off a down year when we were all hoping he would take another step forward. He would particularly struggle in coverage, and missed tackles were still an issue at times. By PFF's grading system, Savage ranked 69th out of 98 eligible safeties, and by Andy Herman's grading system -- he grades every play for every player over an entire season -- Savage was the second-lowest graded Packers' defender.
The primary third safety last season was Henry Black. Although he saw his role reduced in the final weeks of the regular season and Green Bay didn't play in as many three safety looks under Joe Barry, Black was still on the field for nearly 300 snaps.
As many second-year undrafted safeties would, Black took his lumps, allowing a 69.2 percent completion rate, 13.2 yards per catch, and a passer rating of 107.5 when targeted, according to PFF. By overall grade, Black would rank 96th out of the 98 safeties--you get the idea, there is room for improvement at this position.
The remaining safeties under contract for 2022 include Shawn Davis, Vernon Scott, and Innis Gaines. Combined, the trio has 90 career regular-season defensive snaps, all of which belong to Scott and all of which came in 2020.
The safety position within Barry's defensive scheme plays an important and also challenging role. With the typical lightboxes that the defense aligns in, the safeties have to be active in the run game and be reliable tacklers as well. And in the heavy cover-2 looks, they need to also protect the back-end and provide help over the top for the cornerbacks.
"We put a lot on their plate," said Jerry Gray last season via Packers.com. "To me, they're just as vital as a middle linebacker in this scheme. They may not call every play, but there are some techniques and things that they have to play that they have to know by formation. It's not just gonna be in the call. You have to do some things within that call that's gonna help us make these plays."
Finding a safety in the draft who could contribute right away would, of course, be quite helpful, but the draft is also about planning ahead. And as we look ahead to 2023, there could be even more question marks surrounding the safety position than there are now. Amos certainly should be extended, but that is yet to happen, and there is the possibility that Savage is playing elsewhere in 2023 with this being the final year of his rookie contract and Green Bay having to decide this spring whether or not they want to pick up his fifth-year option.
If Green Bay is going to spend a top-100 pick on the position, some names from Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network to keep your eyes on as the pre-draft process unfolds are Penn State's Jaquan Brisker, Daxton Hill from Michigan, Lewis Cine from Georgia, Oregon's Verone McKinley, and Maryland's Nick Cross.
There are plenty of needs to be addressed this offseason, and once we see how free agency unfolds, we will have a better idea of what positions Green Bay should tackle during the draft.
Ultimately, high-end talent can't be added to every position of need, and that's part of the roster-building equation that Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball have to solve every year. While safety is one of those positions that may not be talked about a ton heading into the draft for Green Bay, it could certainly end up being a position that they address with an early-round selection given the lack of reliable depth, the uncertainty surrounding the unit in future years, and the very important role that it plays in Barry's defense.
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__________________________
Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.
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Comments (19)
Coldworld
February 18, 2022 at 11:37 am
We have zero deep cover capable depth, and we were very lucky that we got away with that last season. Black, to be honest, was also not good enough closer to the line. We probably need to either go higher and take a young dual role S or look to upgrade two roles (and replace Black on STs where he was pretty good).
Leatherhead
February 18, 2022 at 11:42 am
With as much as we like to play three safeties, I'm surprised we haven't been more aggressive in getting "the guy". I know we hoped/thought Raven Green was going to be that guy, but he wasn't. Considering the upcoming contracts of Amos and Savage, I'd think it's prudent to get a guy who could give us options in case we couldn't resign one of them, or one of them gets hurt.
Leatherhead
February 18, 2022 at 11:43 am
duplicate
dobber
February 18, 2022 at 01:08 pm
Absolutely. Injury is what I'm much more concerned with.
...and this is a team that, with the exception of Josh Jones, has shied away from bigger safeties. I understand that the philosophy has always been interchangeability, but if you have a role in mind that none of your rostered safeties is well-suited for, you either need to re-think what you're doing or find a guy who's a better fit for that role.
Coldworld
February 19, 2022 at 08:18 am
Pettine wanted a bigger S or Hybrid. Barry seems a little different, though that may be through lack of options. Black seems to have been used more like a ILB. Hard to tell because he can tackle and do nothing else, but Barry is an ILB guy. Perhaps this year we will get an idea of the type Barry really wants? In the meantime, let’s get a deep S prospect anyway.
mnbadger
February 18, 2022 at 12:01 pm
There are many needs for the 2022 roster, but TE wasn't even mentioned? Covered in an earlier feature, but still a huge hole to be filled.
My suggestion is that gutey starts extending the players that he wants matched with those that want to be here.
If both boxes are checked, get it done. If only one box, move on to the next player.
Kind of like musical chairs. If the music stops (cap space runs out) before you decide you want to be in GB, you won't get a chair. Are you listening ar12? GPG
dobber
February 18, 2022 at 01:49 pm
"There are many needs for the 2022 roster, but TE wasn't even mentioned? Covered in an earlier feature, but still a huge hole to be filled."
Yeah, you can't fill every hole...I think that's the key problem. But do what you can from the player procurement end, and hope your coaches can scheme their ways around the deficiencies.
"My suggestion is that gutey starts extending the players that he wants matched with those that want to be here."
Absolutely agree: identify the long-term pieces, take care of them, and be flexible with everyone else.
Leatherhead
February 18, 2022 at 04:23 pm
I don't think we have that many holes.
For example, we dress 21 players on offense, including two QBs. Setting that elephant aside in another room, we dress 19 guys.......9 OL, 10 Skill guys. give or take one in either direction.
Jones, Dillon, Hill/Patrick , DeGuara, Lewis, Dafney, Lazard, Amari could all be back, so we really only have two WR spots to fill. Of course, if we could get a legitimate TE that could get his man blocked AND help in the pass game, that'd help quite a bit.
But to the larger point of filling holes......I don't see many. Even fewer if we sign guys like MVS or EQ or Taylor. Most of the guys will be back on offense, and we'll get some new toys at the skill positions.
The situation on the line is even better. We could dress out 8 guys that are all battle hardened starters in the NFL: Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Myers, Runyon, Turner, Patrick Nijman and Newman. Not a single untested UDFA project. Unless, of course, we start releasing vets like Patrick and Turner to save a few dollars....a big mistake, IMO. Nothing works on unless guys get blocked.
Coldworld
February 19, 2022 at 08:27 am
I think we have a lot of holes. OLB, ILB, TE (not HBack), DL, WR at the starter level, S, OL and even interior CB at the ready depth level off the top of my head. We need to restock STs including at lest P and LS. We need to refill the pipeline of talent behind too, we’ve been carrying to many older types that haven’t come on.
Admittedly, I’m going off the currently signed players, but yes, I think we are going to be heavily reliant on youth and there are only so many picks in the draft and much fewer who will actually help this year. With no cap latitude, that means we will need more Campbell/Douglas type finds. Betting man?
stockholder
February 18, 2022 at 01:02 pm
Just Sign Douglass.
Coldworld
February 18, 2022 at 04:28 pm
If we are able to bring Douglas back, I’d play him in place if Sullivan.
jannesbjornson
February 18, 2022 at 09:22 pm
Sullivan is at best a Dime, if he returns.
jannesbjornson
February 18, 2022 at 09:20 pm
Is this Groundhog's Week with these repetitive themes? They will at minimum need to bring in two more safeties and more than likely three to compete with Scott for the depth chart. Shawn Davis seems to be a hitter. Savage is a trade candidate. He may need to get new contact lens to scope the ball. He was close to INTs, but mis-played too many balls. Black has to go along with King. I would get Douglas on board and draft another CB.
Coldworld
February 19, 2022 at 08:30 am
Shawn Davies is a STer at this point. I’m not sure how ready he is for D, since they preferred Black. Then again, we brought 3 of ST specialists on to the PS, I am including Moore, but chose not to use them in anger when it mattered.
jannesbjornson
February 19, 2022 at 11:29 am
He is one of my main guys for the sp teams. He's the type of guy you want. He also looked better than Black when he was playing dime safety.
They had a pretty good group at Florida when he was starting.
Coldworld
February 19, 2022 at 11:57 am
I don’t disagree. I do wonder why neither he nor the ILB were tried.
MrFitz66
February 19, 2022 at 02:04 am
Douglass said he wants to stay in Green Bay. Hopefully its on a reasonable deal. But I'm not counting on it, losing him and Campbell will leave big shoes to fill.
Packer_Fan
February 18, 2022 at 05:33 pm
I think they should extend Amos. He just seems he will get better with age. He is still young enough to do that. Then pick up the 5th year option with Savage. Then pick up a 4th round draft pick for the future and third safety.
MooPack
March 09, 2022 at 04:35 pm
It is an under the radar position this year that could very well be a weakness in a year or two. Why not keep it the strength of the Defense and league for years to come. At 28 the Packers are in a position to draft who I consider to be the best safety in the draft. Even more the Kyle Hamilton who is much slower and more of a SS/LB hybrid. His name is Daxton Hill - Michigan. He has enough size (6'0 - 195) and speed 4:38 to cover anyone. His 20-yard shuttle (4.06 seconds) and three-cone (6.57 seconds) were the best at safety. He's a great tackler. He has also played CB very well. Breaks up well. Even shows he can sack the QB from the slot. Dude is freaky quick and fast. He could line up in the slot/FS/CB positions. No more lining up DB's 10 yards off the dang ball. That type of flexibility would make the Packers secondary the best in the league. I have no doubt he will start. And he'd hopefully light a fire under Savage to play better for a year or two. You know, like that other guy we have...What's his name?
Good luck passing against that possible lot:
CB - Jaire Alexander
CB - Eric Stokes
Slot/FS/CB - Daxton Hill
SS - Adrian Amos
FS - Darnell Savage (until Daxton takes over)
I'm generally not high on putting a lot into highlight reels as they are usually a few cherry picked ones, but this guy is a human highlight reel. You can just see the tremendous athleticism and instinct he has. I think he is going to be a star. He's very high on my list for the pick at 28. Maybe the highest, depending on who's left.