8 Big Things to Watch for on Defense During Packers Training Camp

Who will emerge as the third safety for the Packers?

Much like the edge rusher position, the Packers have some question marks around the depth of the safety position.

While the third safety won’t have as significant of a role in 2022 because of the addition of Quay Walker at linebacker, the Packers still need depth in case an injury were to strike.

Also, it’s not as if the third safety is completely going away either, and right now, in addition to Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos, Green Bay needs to find both a reliable box presence as well as someone who can play deep.

Vernon Scott and his 90 career defensive snaps — all of which came in 2020 — is the most experienced player behind Amos and Savage. However, based on what we saw during OTAs and minicamp, it is Shawn Davis who appears to be the front runner for that third safety role.

In addition to those two, also competing for a roster spot are Tariq Carpenter, Innis Gaines, and Tre Sterling. Special teams contributions are going to play a deciding role in who stays and who goes as well.

Can the defense make a Year 2 leap under Joe Barry?

Given the makeup on this unit, we should see this Packers defense take a step forward for the simple fact that, among the starters anyways, there doesn’t really appear to be too many weaknesses.

However, another thing that this defense has going for them is that they are entering their second season under Joe Barry.

With a greater understanding of the system and the individual responsibilities that come with each role, it will allow the defenders to play faster as they simply react to what is taking place rather than trying to process everything as well. Joe Barry will also be able to dive deeper into his playbook as well–first-year coaches rarely implement their entire playbook right away.

The Cleveland Browns under Joe Woods, Phil Snow in Carolina, and Josh Boyer in Miami are all recent examples of defensive units that took a step forward in their second season with their respective defensive coordinators. And while it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, the Packers’ offense in Year 2 under LaFleur vaulted to the best in football.

So, in addition to the personnel on the defensive side of the ball, the familiarity with Barry’s system is one more reason this group could make a big leap this season.