Green Bay Packers: Kentrell Brice is ready to compete for starting safety

Coming off a mid-season surgery, Kentrell Brice is ready to make an impact at the safety position for the Green Bay Packers in 2018.

It was Week 4’s Thursday night game against the Chicago Bears when Kentrell Brice first experienced problems with his right ankle. While planting his foot, he rolled his ankle and at the same time, an opposing player stepped on it causing instant pain. Admirably, Brice remained in the game and finished with four tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception as the Green Bay Packers held the Bears to 14 points in a 21-point win.

Players battle through injuries all the time and Green Bay’s second-year safety continued to run on a bum ankle for the next three games. He played 176 snaps in hopes that an ensuing Week 8 bye would give him time to recover.

However, things changed in Week 7 vs the New Orleans Saints as Brice was starting in place of Morgan Burnett who was out with a hamstring injury. He was having a solid outing with seven tackles in the first half before getting carted into the locker room during the second quarter. Again, it was his ankle.

During the bye week, Brice sought out treatment, but it was inevitable he would end up on injured reserve. What was thought to be a mild sprain turned out to be a full-blown ligament tear. Almost two months after the initial incident vs Chicago, Brice had surgery that sidelined him for the next seven months.

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Though there is still some lingering pain, the safety entering his third NFL season was around for the Packers offseason program where he performed well.

“Kentrell’s doing an excellent job,” head coach Mike McCarthy said before June 14’s OTA practice. “I think he’s definitely having one of the best offseason programs. The thing that goes unnoticed is his communication skills. I love the way he plays. I think the ability to get past the injury and be here the whole time, having him full go in the strength and conditioning program, you can see he’s really comfortable out there with the adjustments and the communication.”

Brice may find himself stepping in for Burnett once again as a starting safety. Burnett was looked at as the quarterback of the defense getting players lined up correctly and relaying messages from the coaches. An asset Brice appears to be taking very seriously.

His main competition will be Josh Jones who is entering his second season after seeing significant playing time as a rookie. Jones excelled near the line of scrimmage but was often found out of position when dropping back in coverage.

Brice is known for being a hard-hitting tackler but occasionally has flashed good ball skills. He intercepted a pass during the preseason and returned it 42 yards to go along with his pick against Bears’ QB Mike Glennon in the regular season.

Knowing how important the upcoming season is, Brice is ready to compete for the open safety spot. Even though he isn’t 100 percent it hasn’t stopped him from carrying momentum into training camp. When asked what he worked on while injured, he had an assured response.

“Just from a mental aspect of the game,” Brice said. “Having time and sitting down I was able to study a lot of players and, you know, study a lot of tendencies from quarterbacks.”

The determining factor for who starts opposite of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix could depend on who defends better against the pass. So far, Brice may have the early lead.

“I would definitely be shocked if we’re not sitting here after the season thinking that he’s definitely taken a big jump because I’ve seen it throughout the offseason,” McCarthy said.

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