On paper, the Green Bay Packers have arguably the worst safety group in the NFL. But it feels like the Packers are not as concerned as their fans about the issue. For example, John Johnson is still on the market, and the team doesn’t seem inclined to sign him. Green Bay’s most recent workouts have prioritized wide receivers and quarterbacks, but safeties are not part of this equation. From what the Packers have indicated, they are comfortable giving chances to the current group and seeing who performs at an acceptable level.
Before the draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted that they had a need at safety, especially because Darnell Savage’s performance had been mediocre at best. Moreover, Adrian Amos steeply declined last year, and they let him go in free agency to sign with the New York Jets.
“Our secondary is a little bit unsettled,” Gutekunst said back in March. “We have a couple safeties that are moving on that were here last year. As a whole, I really like our nucleus coming back.”
The most surprising aspect of Green Bay’s safety situation is how little the team has invested in the position since 2019. On that occasion, Green Bay signed Adrian Amos to a relatively big free-agent contract and drafted Darnell Savage in the first round. Since then, it’s been just marginal moves.
Last offseason, safety was already a sneaky need for the Packers. And that was before poor performances from Amos and Savage. By that time, Amos was slated to be a free agent after the season, and Savage was in the last year of his rookie deal. It was fair to expect the team wouldn’t pick up Savage’s fifth-year option, and I even wrote that they shouldn’t. But they did, and they are now stuck with a $7.9 million guaranteed contract for a player who isn’t close to being a definitive solution.
During the 2022 season, Rudy Ford ended up being by far the best safety on Green Bay’s roster. They signed him as a special teamer, but Ford started playing sparsely in three-safety packages. His good performance allowed the Packers to move Savage to the slot, and Ford became a full-time safety. This year, he’s expected to be the starter again alongside Savage. However, it’s hard to guarantee that he’ll maintain a decent level of play because the sample size is still small.
Gutekunst made marginal moves this year to give defensive coordinator Joe Barry more alternatives. But, again, none of them looks like a viable solution. The team signed Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore, two inexpensive veteran free agents.
Owens was a starter for the Houston Texans last year, mostly because the roster was one of the worst in the league. Owens was among the worst starting safeties in the league. Moore is mostly a special teamer. Gutekunst also used a seventh-round pick to select Anthony Johnson Jr., who has the highest ceiling among all the options. However, it’s hard to expect much immediate impact from a late-round rookie.
Innis Gaines and Dallin Leavitt are the other options. Gaines has been with the Packers since 2021 but has had to manage injuries, and Leavitt re-signed because of his role on special teams.
Rasul Douglas could be a moveable piece in the secondary, but the coaching staff indicated they prefer to establish him as an outside cornerback. If they were willing to move him, it would allow Eric Stokes to play when he’s back from injury. Early indications are that Stokes might be ready for Week 1.
Green Bay’s offense and defense are on different timelines. It’s understandable if Gutekunst doesn’t want to add older wide receivers or tight ends to take snaps away from the young players. But there’s no good reason for the Packers to not look for improvement at safety.
Given that Green Bay hasn’t invested at the position, a potential free-agent signing wouldn’t impact the development of a potential long-term solution. Furthermore, the defense needs to show improvement as soon as possible to give the offense time to develop — and also to secure Barry’s continuity on the coaching staff.
The Packers decided they are not that worried about the safety group. Or that they don’t value the position as much because of the increase in the percentage of two-deep safety looks, diminishing the importance of a playmaker on the back end.
But training camp and preseason games will show if their low-key options could be the solution. If not, the front office will have to make fast moves to correct the lack of investment in the position over the last three years.
