Barry: Alexander and Savage candidates to take slot snaps for Packers

As the Green Bay Packers’ defense looks to improve their play after several lackluster performances, perhaps a change to the slot cornerback position could be in order.

Led by Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, and Eric Stokes, the Packers’ secondary was touted as one of the most talented in the NFL prior to the 2022 season beginning. However, the numbers and their play have not reflected that.

While overall, the Packers’ secondary ranks well in terms of passing yards per game allowed, they’ve been picked apart by crossing routes, allowing the most yards in the NFL on that specific play–and it isn’t particularly close. Green Bay’s secondary has also forced just one interception, four pass breakups, and has allowed a completion rate of 79.5%, according to PFF ($$).

When defensive coordinator Joe Barry met with reporters on Thursday afternoon, he mentioned a few potential solutions, some of which included playing more aggressively at times so the cornerbacks aren’t lined up so far off the receivers. He also mentioned varying coverages more frequently, so opponents don’t continue to pick them apart on crossers.

Another topic that was brought up was moving Douglas out of the slot and back to the boundary, where he has found much more success.

As I wrote and discussed before the season began, I thought that the nickel cornerback role was going to vary from week to week, depending on who the opponent was. However, that hasn’t been the case. When Douglas, Alexander, and Stokes have all been healthy, it has been Rasul inside.

Douglas entered the 2022 season with only 80 previous snaps from the slot during his five-year NFL career. As a bigger-bodied cornerback at 6’2″ – 209 pounds, he also doesn’t fit the typical mold of a slot corner either.

From inside, we haven’t seen that same playmaking ability from Douglas this season–something that, overall, is very much missing from this Green Bay secondary. Douglas allowed a completion rate of only 51% in 2021, with five interceptions and seven pass breakups.

This year, he has allowed a 76% catch rate on 17 targets with only one pass breakup. As I’m sure you recall, prior to Alexander exiting the Tampa Bay game in Week 3, Tom Brady was going after Douglas early on when he was lined up in the slot.

If Barry does move Douglas back to the boundary, the obvious move would be for Alexander to assume the slot duties. Alexander has cemented himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and his 4.38-speed better equips him for the typical slot receiver. Alexander also isn’t afraid to make tackles either, which is an important part of playing inside.

"“Nickels or safeties, they’ve got to be a little bit more physical. They’ve got to tackle. Jaire can do it all,” Barry said via Sports Illustrated. “He … not only can cover, he can run, he can hit, he can tackle. He can be a phenomenal nickel corner if we choose to put him in there. There’s not many places in the secondary that Ja could not play.”"

With that said, given Alexander’s talents, he shouldn’t be pigeonholed inside either. If the opponent’s top receiver primarily lines up on the boundary, Alexander should be taking snaps there as well.

Another candidate that Barry mentioned for slot snaps is Darnell Savage, who has 665 career snaps inside during his time with the Packers and is someone who many believe is a more effective player when playing closer to the line of scrimmage, where his playmaking abilities can shine.

If Savage were to play in the slot at times, that would require someone to take over at safety next to Amos. Barry would go on to mention Rudy Ford as a capable replacement and someone who is getting more comfortable with the defense as a late addition. Against New England, Ford logged seven tackles in 44 snaps.

I’ll also throw Douglas’ name out there as an option at safety if Savage is in the slot. That way he isn’t on the sidelines and he did take some snaps there during training camp.

However, as I already mentioned, tackling is an important aspect of playing the nickel, and that isn’t a strong suit of Savage, who currently is tied for the second-most missed tackles on the team.

As Barry also said, there is still a lot of football left to be played, but corrections and adjustments need to start taking place–there is just too much talent in this secondary for them to be playing at their current level. Ultimately I believe that whoever lines up in the slot should be a fluid decision based on the opponent, but first things first, let’s see if Barry’s comments come to fruition in some form on Sunday against the New York Jets.