It’s hard to find a unit with so much talent performing so poorly through five weeks as the Green Bay Packers’ secondary. The group has the following:
- Jaire Alexander, a former first-round pick who became the highest-paid cornerback in the history of football during the offseason.
- Eric Stokes, their first-round pick last from last year.
- Rasul Douglas, who they gave a three-year extension in March.
- Adrian Amos, who signed a big free-agent contract in 2019.
- And Darnell Savage, also a former first-rounder.
It’s not like they are busts or contractual failures. The talent is real, but the execution hasn’t been. It’s a matter of scheme, for the most part. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s system isn’t maximizing what they do best individually, and the results are underwhelming.
The overall results aren’t terrible, statistically, but several considerations explain why it looks so bad on film. The Packers are 10th in dropback EPA allowed and 13th in dropback success rate allowed. But those numbers are heavily dependent on the success Green Bay has had in third and fourth down so far.
The difference is aggressiveness.
When the Packers prioritize using their basic coverage structure on first and second downs, the team is 21st in dropback EPA allowed and 22nd in dropback success rate allowed. But there is a transformation when the Packers’ defense tends to get more aggressive and play stickier coverage on third and fourth downs. They are seventh in dropback EPA allowed and second in dropback success rate allowed.
“We’ve looked long and hard at that this week,” Joe Barry said after losing to the New York Giants in London. “Being able to allow our guys to be aggressive and go get in people’s faces, I think we have the guys to be able to do that. And we can do that, and we will do that moving forward.”
With the exception of the Chicago Bears game, where the talent difference is overwhelming, Green Bay’s best defensive game in points allowed was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. That’s also the game where the team played the highest percentage of man coverage (32%).
Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, especially, are made to play man coverage. Rasul Douglas is more of a zone player, but he can get off the field eventually in these situations. Barry indicated in his press conference that Darnell Savage can play more in the slot, and Rudy Ford would be the second safety alongside Adrian Amos. Jaire can also play in the slot when the opponent has a dominant slot WR. This week, for example, the New York Jets have Garrett Wilson, who has played over 50% of his snaps in the slot.
How to extract the best from each player
Right now, the five Packers secondary starters are playing below expectations. Therefore, the most realistic explanation is that it’s a coaching issue, and some adjustments should be made during the season to improve their performance.
Jaire Alexander
Alexander has been the best Packers corner, but he’s frequently hidden because the Packers are passive. When opposing offenses move their best receivers around, the Packers lack a plan to use Alexander on them. The Packers must be more willing to adjust their plan and allow Alexander to be more multiple — be it playing in the slot or travel with the top opposing weapon — to justify the contract the team gave him.
Eric Stokes
Stokes has shown how difficult it has been for him to adapt to zone concepts. He is an extremely fast player, but he generally doesn’t know how to act when there are motions right before the play. And these communication issues have been explored frequently for opposing offenses. It happened in Week 1, in the first Justin Jefferson touchdown, as you can see below. The Giants also explored it last Sunday, motioning the wide receiver for whom Stokes was responsible and letting the running back run a route in Stokes’ side for easy completion.
Stokes undoubtedly has talent, but his processing level isn’t what it needs to be. So, while he grows as an NFL player, the best way to utilize his skillset is to allow him to play more man coverage. They should take him off the field when zone coverage makes more sense if necessary.
Rasul Douglas
Douglas is probably the Packers cornerback best-suited to play zone coverage – it’s why he flourished last season. But his performance hasn’t been great either in 2022. However, his problem is different.
With Alexander back from injury, Douglas was forced to move to the slot, where he’s not as effective.
Douglas can eventually play in the slot against bigger players but suffers against smaller receivers. Therefore, it has to be a situational analysis. Generally, as Joe Barry said in his most recent press conference, the better plan is to use Douglas as a boundary corner with Alexander or Savage in the slot.
Darnell Savage
The best moment of Savage’s young career was the end of the 2020 season when Mike Pettine was still the Packers’ defensive coordinator. He played closer to the line of scrimmage as a robber. Since Barry took over in 2021, Savage’s level of play doesn’t justify his first-round status — nor does it justify Green Bay’s decision to exercise his fifth-year option for 2023.
Adrian Amos
Green Bay’s usage of Amos is probably the best they can do with the current version of the defensive personnel. He would probably be better as a strong safety if the Packers had another good safety playing deep, but Savage isn’t that guy. So, the team is forced to play Amos as the primary free safety, even in single-high looks.
The Packers have undeniable talent in the secondary, but Barry largely hasn’t been able or willing to take advantage of it. Considering the investment made for Green Bay in the unit, that’s where there needs growth for this defense to be successful moving forward.
