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There is playing time up for grabs at the safety position for the Green Bay Packers, but just like every seventh-round draft pick before him, if Anthony Johnson is going to see significant snaps in his first season, he is going to have to leapfrog some veterans to do so.
There is, of course, still a lot left to be decided at the safety position this summer, but the offseason programs provided us with a glimpse of where things may currently stand when it comes to the potential depth chart.
Starting next to Darnell Savage in each team session was Rudy Ford, who, not surprisingly, should be considered the front-runner for that second starting role given his experience in Joe Barry’s defense and the reliability he provided during the second half of last season. Also taking some snaps with the ones were Tarvarius Moore and Jonathan Owens, although I’m still not sure who is considered the third option between the two, and perhaps the Packers don’t know yet either. Then there was Johnson, who saw snaps with the second-team defense, lining up next to either Moore or Owens, but was clearly behind the previous four players mentioned.
As Ben Fennell mentioned, Johnson has the skill set to fill an Adrian Amos-like role in the Packers secondary, playing deep in the two-high look Green Bay often uses or in the box. In the Barry defense that frequently utilizes light boxes, the safeties play an important role in the run game, which fits Johnson’s game well with his ability and willingness to rally to the football, take on blockers, fill gaps, and tackle.
“I just smile because he’s so youthful,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard last month. “He’s energetic. He’s got a playful personality about him. Extremely eager to learn. He hasn’t played the position a bunch, so there’s a lot of things we are teaching right now. But his athletic skill set is pretty darn good. He showed some things in the rookie minicamp, even in the drills with the vets. I like the way he is coming along.”
Johnson, however, is not only navigating the learning curve that comes with jumping from college to the NFL, but he’s also relatively new to the safety position as well. The 2022 season was Johnson’s first at safety. The previous four seasons, Johnson spent lined up as a boundary cornerback. As a safety, Johnson ranked 26th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric at Iowa State, but he did have 13 missed tackles as well. In coverage, he allowed 19 completions on 29 targets at 12.4 yards per catch, with two pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.
“Like I’ve explained to those rookies,” said Downard, “so much of this game is mental, so much of it. We talked about 31 (Adrain Amos) and why he’s been playing in this league for so long. He’s able to take in all the information the offense is giving him and apply it, and so we got to get Ant to that point.”
How things play out during training camp and the preseason will carry the most weight when it comes to determining the pecking order at the safety position — nothing has been determined. But keep in mind that, under Matt LaFleur, this is a Packers team that has preferred experience, at least early on, when determining playing time. It’s not been often that a rookie — let alone a seventh-round pick — has come in and been the preferred starter right away.
Johnson is the only safety on the Packers’ 90-man roster who is under contract beyond 2023, so he does certainly factor into their long-term plans. However, given the learning curve that lies ahead, along with the veterans currently taking snaps in front of him, it’s possible that we see him more on special teams than on defense as a rookie.
