The Green Bay Packers may have a few holes to fill on the defense this off-season. Safety is one of the positions that have major question marks surrounding it going into the 2023 season. Adrian Amos’ future in Green Bay is undetermined as he is a pending free agent. In fact, the only safeties with significant playing time under their belt who are under contract for 2023 are Darnell Savage, who was benched for Rudy Ford only to return to the starting lineup, and Innis Gaines, who had 44 total defensive snaps last season. Safety could certainly be a position that Green Bay targets in free agency and/or the draft. They are reportedly favored to land one of the top free-agent safeties in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers Favored To Land Safety Vonn Bell
Per Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and PFF:
“Bell has logged more than 1,000 snaps in each of the past three seasons while earning run-defense and coverage grades above 60.0 in each. Bell’s 33 defensive stops in coverage over the past three seasons are seventh most among safeties, and his 51 defensive stops and 18 tackles for loss as a run defender over the past three seasons both rank fourth. He’s an incredibly solid all-around player who would be a nice addition for any team this offseason.”
Bell is still only 28 years old despite seven years of starting experience at the NFL level. Over the past two seasons, Bell has allowed only three touchdown passes while intercepting passes over 1,200 coverage snaps, and he’s been reliable overall both against the pass and run since joining the Bengals in 2020.
The need in Green Bay is significant. Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford and Dallin Leavitt are all free agents for the Packers this offseason, and Darnell Savage – who was benched midseason – is likely headed to the slot in an effort to revive his career. Also, Amos has a voiding contract and is coming off a disappointing 2022 season, lessening the chances he’s back in Green Bay in 2023.
It’s possible the Packers will have two new starting safeties next season.
Could Bell and a high draft pick – like Alabama’s Brian Branch – be the right mix for fixing the safety position in Green Bay? Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has often combined a veteran free-agent addition with a draft pick in an effort to solve need positions.
If the Green Bay Packers decide not to bring back Adrian Amos, targeting a veteran safety in free agency makes a ton of sense. The only other player on the Green Bay Packers roster who has spent time at the safety position is cornerback Rasul Douglas. Vonn Bell was a second round draft pick in 2016. From 2016-2019 Bell was a member of the New Orleans Saints, but has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2020. He has recorded 632 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 34 pass deflections, and six interceptions in his career.
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