The Green Bay Packers were on bye in Week 6, giving the players a chance to heal up after what has been an injury-riddled first five weeks. In addition to that, the coaching staff got a chance to re-evaluate the roster and see where they stand with one-third of the season in the books.
There were a few weaknesses that popped up, such as depth along the offensive line after suffering multiple injuries. Some weaknesses from the offseason have disappeared as some positional groups have played surprisingly well.
Alas, there are still some weaknesses from the offseason that have carried into the regular season. Arguably the most pressing one is the safety position, where the Packers knew they were short on answers.
Rudy Ford has had some very good performances the last few games and has stepped up in the defensive backfield. But, good performances by the rest of the group have been far and few between. Fellow start Darnell Savage Jr. struggles to find his form from earlier in his career and backup Jonathan Owens has graded out slightly better than Savage over at PFF.
This is a group that will be overhauled during the offseason as five players at the position will be free agents in 2024, including Ford and Savage. Ford, who ranks 17th out of 86 safeties this season, is the only one playing well enough to warrant being re-signed. The others could be playing their way off the roster.
Who could the Packers look to bring in with impending changes? Matt Holder of Bleacher Report has suggested the team pursue Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn in free agency next offseason.
“Green Bay’s safeties haven’t been good this year and five of them are impending free agents, including Rudy Ford and Darnell Savage, the team’s two starters. Also, starting nickel corner Keisean Nixon’s contract is about to expire.
Chinn can solve a few of those problems as he primarily lines up as either a box safety or covers the slot. He’s also been pretty productive throughout his career with 315 total tackles, 12 TFL, four sacks, 17 passes defended and a couple of picks in 46 games entering Week 5.”
An impact safety is the last piece of the puzzle for this Packers defense. Their pass rush has turned into a strength this season and they are receiving solid performances from linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker. Rasul Douglas is playing like a star, picking up the slack for Jaire Alexander, who has battled injuries this season.
Adding a versatile player such as Chinn to upgrade the safety spot would elevate the entire defensive unit. A box safety capable of defending in the slot is exactly what this Green Bay defense needs and that is a box in which Chinn checks off.
