A great deal of the questions surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been centered around Jordan Love and the offense. However, there are several questions that need answering on defense as well. “Will Joe Barry be able to utilize the talent of a unit that consists of eight first round picks?” is an example of one such question.
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One vital question surrounding the defense is the safety position. Adrian Amos has joined the New York Jets and Darnell Savage, who has struggled ever since Barry took over as defensive coordinator, is the only safety guaranteed to be a starter. The question regarding the position is so dire, in fact, that Matt Schneidman of The Athletic has named it the the Packers’ biggest concern of the summer.
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In a recent article posted by The Athletic, insiders for each NFL team named the biggest offseason concern for each franchise. Schneidman, of course, covers the Packers and wrote this about the safety position:
“Darnell Savage Jr. was bad enough at safety last season to get demoted before a late-season resurgence. Rudy Ford, who replaced him alongside Adrian Amos, wasn’t much better. Well, Savage and Ford are the Packers’ two starting safeties right now after the Packers let Amos sign with the Jets.
“Teams will be salivating to go deep on the Packers when their safeties are involved. They signed veterans Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore for insurance and Owens started 17 games for the Texans last season, but all Packer fans should be skeptical about the position if last season in Green Bay is any indication of what’s to come.”
Ford may be penciled in as the other starting safety, but there’s a reason why no one is writing his name in ink. The team’s two free agent signings and seventh round pick Anthony Johnson Jr. could make a run at the starting job.
Just how bad were the Packers’ safeties in 2022? Here are some concerning numbers:
PFF Overall Defensive Grades
- Darnell Savage- 47.5
- Rudy Ford- 74.6
- Jonathan Owens- 48.3
- Tarvarious Moore- 64.7
Opposing Quarterback Passer Rating When Targeted
- Savage- 114.2
- Ford- 106.7
- Owens- 128.5
- Moore- 79.2 (targeted just two times and played just 41 defensive snaps)
The term most would use for this group coming in as the top four safeties on a team that expects to win its division is “Yikes.”
So far, Green Bay has decided not to address their safety issue with any other free agent signings. While there is still time for them to do so, all indications are that they will roll with what they have. Therefore, they will depend on the players they have improving in 2023.
So, with that in mind, here is a positive stat for each player that can give fans hope going forward:
- Savage- Only three touchdowns allowed last season after allowing eight in 2021
- Ford- three interceptions (only targeted 20 times)
- Owens- Only allowed three passing touchdowns
- Moore- 0.0% missed tackle percentage
So, the unit is not all bad. Each player showed potential last season. Hopefully they can collectively put it all together and give positive answers to the questions surrounding the safety position.
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