One of the Green Bay Packers’ main weaknesses heading into the 2023 NFL season was at the safety position. Darnell Savage was entering the fifth year of his rookie contract after two [honestly] bad seasons. Adrian Amos, who had a bad year in 2022, left on free agency, despite the Packers’ best efforts to keep him. Rudy Ford, who had some shining moments with the squad in 2022, was welcomed back, but was not regarded as a suitable starter by many.
Green Bay also went into 2023 with safety Dallin Leavitt on the roster, but he was never considered to be even close to playable at the position.
Due to the concerns surrounding the safety position, the Packers signed Tarvarius Moore and Jonathan Owens in free agency. Additionally, they drafted Anthony Johnson Jr. on the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
What started as a major concern on the Packers roster turned into one of its greatest strengths. Savage and Ford have played extremely well when healthy. Moore was cut before season started and Leavitt was cut after the win over the Los Angeles Chargers. However, Both Johnson and Owens have played well when injuries have thrust them into the starting lineup. Owens, especially, has been a standout player in recent weeks.
The Green Bay Packers Face a Good Problem as Week 13 Approaches
Over the past few games, Owens and Johnson have been the Packers’ starting safeties due to injuries to Savage and Ford. To be more specific, Owens has started all five of the previous games while Johnson has started three of the last four. Green Bay is 3-0 when they start together.
Obviously, the Packers have one of their most challenging and most important games coming up this weekend as the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Lambeau Field. Of course, their biggest challenge will be figuring out a way to stop their high-powered offense led by Patrick Mahomes.
As was the case last week, the Packers have more than a few players on their injury report. Aaron Jones has already been ruled out and Eric Stokes is listed as doubtful. Savage, who has been designated to return from injured reserve, is listed as questionable, as is Ford who is recovering from a biceps injury.
Typically, when starters get healthy, it is an easy decision to insert them back into the lineup. However, Owens especially has made this decision much more difficult.
In their most recent win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, Owens had a team-high 12 tackles. He also recovered a fumble and scored the first touchdown in his career. According to PFF, Owens also made five tackles that resulted in no-gain on run defense.
What Will the Green Bay Packers Do if Both Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford Are Able to Play?
As stated earlier, both Savage and Ford have been playing extremely well when they are healthy. The fact of the matter is that there is a reason that they were starting over Owens in the first place.
Ford is listed as the Packers’ second-highest graded defender overall on PFF, and Savage is the team’s sixth-highest graded run defender. Johnson and Owens are two of the three lowest-graded defenders.
The fact of the matter, though, is that that the Packers have two safeties that excel in pass defense. Both Ford and Johnson are allowing completion percentages of less than 60% while holding opposing quarterbacks to ratings of 54.4 and 62.2 respectively.
Savage and Owens, meanwhile, are allowing completion percentages over 70% and quarterback ratings over 100.0. However, both these safeties are excellent run defenders.
The response is that if Ford and Savage are both healthy, they will likely return to their starting duties; however, Owens and Johnson have demonstrated their importance in various aspects of the defense and should continue to see playing time.
