Earlier this offseason, Joe Berry was asked what his expectations were for a Green Bay Packers defense that boasts eight first-round picks. “What if we had a roster full of seventh-round draft picks?” He replied, “Would expectations not be high? The greatest thing about not only the National Football League but about being at the Green Bay Packers, expectations are high all the time. No matter what.”
Barry’s statement may best apply to the Packers 2023 seventh-round pick Anthony Johnson Jr., who will get a chance to win a starting job. A corner who converted to safety in 2022, Johnson started a school-record 54 games over five years at Iowa State. In 2022, he was a team captain who earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after recording 60 tackles, two interceptions, and four pass breakups in 2022.
The Packers safety room largely is in flux. They’ve lost Adrian Amos in free agency and benched Darnell Savage during parts of last season. They also have multiple players who were primarily special teams players in 2022 in Dallin Leavitt, Innis Gaines, and Tarvarius Moore. But Jonathan Owens, Darnell Savage, and Rudy Ford started games last year and are Johnson’s most likely competition for finding a starting role. However, Johnson’s skills fit well in the group and may allow the Packers to shift Savage into a role in the slot.
Coming out of college, Johnson showed a solid toolbox to allow him to compete in the NFL. He shows great physicality and ability to stick it to ball carries both in the box and outside one-on-one. Johnson is also not afraid to tackle. When asked about his willingness to light up opposing defenses, he said, “Oh yeah, I’m very physical.”
Johnson shows his physicality and experience on tape. He’s a willing tackler who reads developing plays well and bursts downhill to meet ball carriers. As long as the Packers don’t stick him in deep quarters defense, he should be able to help them in defending the run and screen-pass game.
As a former cornerback, Johnson also brings experience in man coverage. He moves well in transition and does a good job getting his head around and tracking the ball. Johnson doesn’t get overly concerned that he’ll lose ground in coverage when he turns his head. Instead, he relies upon body control to maintain solid pass defense one-on-one. As a safety, he also shows hustle and game speed to track down plays. Johnson’s game tape suggests he plays faster than the 4.54 40-yard dash that he posted at the combine.
Johnson Jr. has the talent to potentially be an NFL starter. The question is, where would he best be suited to play on the Packers? The answer could be in replacing Adrian Amos. In 2022, Amos logged 370 snaps at box safety – the highest among all Packers defensive backs. Amos also had the third-highest tackling grade on Green Bay’s defense at 73.2, according to Pro Football Focus. Johnson’s ability profiles well for him to replace Amos’s snaps, especially in the box.
If Johnson could fill a box safety role, it’d allow the Packers to continue to use Darnell Savage in the slot, a role he seemed to play well in towards the end of last year. It would also allow Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford to compete for snaps at free safety, the position where they both played their most snaps last year.
Additionally, shifting Savage to slot corner would help bolster the Packers overall depth at cornerback. Eric Stokes is continuing to recover from injury and facing an uncertain timeline on when he’ll see the field again. Green Bay’s current starting alignment is likely Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas at outside cornerback and special teams ace Keisean Nixon playing in the slot. Savage could potentially help that group.
Ultimately, Johnson is a rookie and will have to earn the snaps the Packers give him, but they shouldn’t overlook his skill set. He is a competent tackling box safety that also shows a solid ability to cover on the backend. If Green Bay gives him a role, it could also allow other pieces like Ford, Owens, Nixon, and Savage to fit into roles more fitting of their past track records.
The Packers need to approach this year with clear expectations, especially at safety. In many ways, this is a rebuilding year, and Johnson is the most likely safety to still be on the team next year. It would benefit Green Bay to invest starting safety reps in Johnson to figure out if he’s part of the solution.
