3 positions the Green Bay Packers could address on the waiver wire
By Paul Bretl
Position the Green Bay Packers could address on the waiver wire: Safety
The two players that we thought were the front-runners for that third safety role on this Packers defense, Shawn Davis and Vernon Scott, are no longer on the team due to injuries.
Darnell Savage and Dallin Leavitt are also working back from injuries of their own. Hopefully, each will be ready for Week 1, but that hasn’t been confirmed either.
Even if those two are available, the Packers find themselves with little experienced depth behind Savage and Adrian Amos. Leavitt has just 371 career defensive snaps over four seasons and is known more for his special teams ability. While this is the first time that Micah Abernathy and Tariq Carpenter have been on a 53-man roster.
Our glimpse of Leavitt in coverage — and I know, it’s a very small sample size — during that first preseason game included him getting beat over the top for a 76-yard touchdown.
Meanwhile, Carpenter does a very good job of flying around the field and showcased that tackling ability, but overall, it was a quiet summer, and he was a part of a busted play with Rico Gafford in the preseason finale.
Abernathy is certainly an exciting player. His athleticism really stood out as you watched the game — he posted a RAS of 9.38 coming out of Tennessee — he was a sound tackler and came away with an interception. However, he still comes with question marks given the lack of NFL experience–you never truly know until you see that player in action in the regular season.
The third safety role on this team may not be as prominent this season because of the Quay Walker addition, but that doesn’t mean it is going extinct, either. You also never know when an injury may strike.
Special teams will be the primary responsibility for these three players, but finding some defensive experience on the waiver wire would help provide some stability to another position — like edge rusher — that has depth concerns.