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Green Bay Packers 2018 roster battles

By Gage Bridgford

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WI – SEPTEMBER 24: Josh Jones #27 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a sack during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field on September 24, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WI – SEPTEMBER 24: Josh Jones #27 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a sack during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field on September 24, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

1. Strong Safety

After having Morgan Burnett walk this offseason, there is a gaping hole left at the strong safety position. He and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix were steadily developing into a top safety duo on the back end. With Burnett now gone, the group of Josh Jones, Kentrell Brice and Jermaine Whitehead will be responsible for filling the void.

Jones had an up-and-down rookie season as he was splitting time between safety and linebacker. His time as a linebacker allowed him to use his superior athleticism to his advantage. Back at his natural safety position, he’ll have to have improved his coverage and run defense areas. Those were facets of the game that Burnett grew strong in the last few years and will need to be filled. While Jones may still be down in the box on occasion, his primary spot will be at safety covering.

Brice has had an interesting few years in his career as he has dealt with injuries and inconsistent playing time. With Burnett gone and no clear starter in front of him, this is his best opportunity to become a starter. The main edge that he has over Jones is his experience, as he has an additional season over Jones.

Whitehead is a dark horse in this race that has been mostly a special teams player in his short career. Another player with an extra year of experience over the presumed favorite Jones. He also played better than Jones last year in both coverage and run defense. If Jones does not make enough progress from last year, Whitehead could quickly sneak his way ahead of him on the depth chart.

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