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The way Darren Perry talks, Peprah and Martin are both making the squad for sure. They're not counting on Blackmon one iota at safety.
With Atari Bigby injured, Green Bay Packers face difficulty at safety
For the second consecutive year, the Green Bay Packers have depth issues at safety heading into the season.
They placed Atari Bigby, an opening-day starter last season, on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Tuesday, meaning he will miss at least the first six games. Will Blackmon’s move from cornerback has been stalled by recurring knee problems, and their best remaining backups — Derrick Martin and Charlie Peprah — are better known for their play on special teams.
What’s more, they plan to start a rookie, third-round draft pick Morgan Burnett, alongside Pro Bowler Nick Collins.
The situation resembles last season, when General Manager Ted Thompson’s decision to cut Anthony Smith backfired after Bigby got hurt in the opener. The Packers started Aaron Rouse in Week 2, and he was so bad against Cincinnati that Thompson cut him a few days later. They were so thin at safety that defensive coordinator Dom Capers devised a variation of his base defense called “Big Okie” that featured linebacker Brandon Chillar in the defensive backfield.
“I think we’ve got better depth than we did last year,” Capers said Tuesday following the final practice of training camp. “I was concerned about our depth last year, and it proved itself out in those first four games when Atari went out in the opener, and we ended up making a roster move after the second game and next thing you know we’ve got a linebacker playing safety.”
Perhaps safety will be a position Thompson tries to improve via the waiver wire or a cut-day trade on Saturday. The later was how he got Martin from Baltimore last season in exchange for offensive lineman Tony Moll. That didn’t help at the time, considering when Martin was forced into the starting lineup in Week 4 at Minnesota, he got burned so badly that he was yanked in the third quarter.
The coaches insist Martin is far better this season because he’s had an entire training camp in the system.
“That was really probably unfair for us to expect him to come in and roll the way we needed the guy to fill in for us,” safeties coach Darren Perry said. “That was tough, but we’ve learned from it, and I think Derrick will be much better prepared this year in case something happens.”
The same could be said for Peprah, who injured his knee after the first preseason game last year and was eventually waived injured.
“He’s had a full camp, and the thing I’ve noticed with Charlie compared to last year is he’s moving a lot better,” Perry said. “It seems like he’s finally healthy. He’s a sharp guy mentally and can handle all the defenses we throw out there. He’s a guy you trust and feel comfortable if you have to put him in the game and play with him.”
The only other safety on the roster is rookie free agent Anthony Levine of Tennessee State. He looks good enough to keep around on the practice squad but doesn’t appear ready to play.
“I think they’re comfortable with the depth; I think they should be,” Peprah said. “I feel like me and Derrick are both athletes.”
The Packers drafted Burnett because they wanted to upgrade the position, which has been shaky the last two seasons because of injuries to Bigby, and they didn’t expect to be in this bind. They had no idea Bigby would need ankle surgery. He skipped the entire offseason program because he was looking for a long-term contract and when he finally signed his restricted free agent tender, the team discovered his ankle was in bad shape. By going on PUP, he must sit out at least the first six games. He can’t practice during that time so even if he’s cleared to return at the start of Week 7, he’ll likely need a week or two of work before he can play.
“Atari’s going to be a while,” Perry said. “You’ve got Derrick and Charlie, and we’ve got to roll with that. They’ve got to be ready to play. Obviously injuries are part of the game, but you hope your starters stay healthy, and you don’t have to rely on the backups. But they’ve got to be ready at all times because we went through that process last year, so we should be much better prepared.”
For the second consecutive year, the Green Bay Packers have depth issues at safety heading into the season.
They placed Atari Bigby, an opening-day starter last season, on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Tuesday, meaning he will miss at least the first six games. Will Blackmon’s move from cornerback has been stalled by recurring knee problems, and their best remaining backups — Derrick Martin and Charlie Peprah — are better known for their play on special teams.
What’s more, they plan to start a rookie, third-round draft pick Morgan Burnett, alongside Pro Bowler Nick Collins.
The situation resembles last season, when General Manager Ted Thompson’s decision to cut Anthony Smith backfired after Bigby got hurt in the opener. The Packers started Aaron Rouse in Week 2, and he was so bad against Cincinnati that Thompson cut him a few days later. They were so thin at safety that defensive coordinator Dom Capers devised a variation of his base defense called “Big Okie” that featured linebacker Brandon Chillar in the defensive backfield.
“I think we’ve got better depth than we did last year,” Capers said Tuesday following the final practice of training camp. “I was concerned about our depth last year, and it proved itself out in those first four games when Atari went out in the opener, and we ended up making a roster move after the second game and next thing you know we’ve got a linebacker playing safety.”
Perhaps safety will be a position Thompson tries to improve via the waiver wire or a cut-day trade on Saturday. The later was how he got Martin from Baltimore last season in exchange for offensive lineman Tony Moll. That didn’t help at the time, considering when Martin was forced into the starting lineup in Week 4 at Minnesota, he got burned so badly that he was yanked in the third quarter.
The coaches insist Martin is far better this season because he’s had an entire training camp in the system.
“That was really probably unfair for us to expect him to come in and roll the way we needed the guy to fill in for us,” safeties coach Darren Perry said. “That was tough, but we’ve learned from it, and I think Derrick will be much better prepared this year in case something happens.”
The same could be said for Peprah, who injured his knee after the first preseason game last year and was eventually waived injured.
“He’s had a full camp, and the thing I’ve noticed with Charlie compared to last year is he’s moving a lot better,” Perry said. “It seems like he’s finally healthy. He’s a sharp guy mentally and can handle all the defenses we throw out there. He’s a guy you trust and feel comfortable if you have to put him in the game and play with him.”
The only other safety on the roster is rookie free agent Anthony Levine of Tennessee State. He looks good enough to keep around on the practice squad but doesn’t appear ready to play.
“I think they’re comfortable with the depth; I think they should be,” Peprah said. “I feel like me and Derrick are both athletes.”
The Packers drafted Burnett because they wanted to upgrade the position, which has been shaky the last two seasons because of injuries to Bigby, and they didn’t expect to be in this bind. They had no idea Bigby would need ankle surgery. He skipped the entire offseason program because he was looking for a long-term contract and when he finally signed his restricted free agent tender, the team discovered his ankle was in bad shape. By going on PUP, he must sit out at least the first six games. He can’t practice during that time so even if he’s cleared to return at the start of Week 7, he’ll likely need a week or two of work before he can play.
“Atari’s going to be a while,” Perry said. “You’ve got Derrick and Charlie, and we’ve got to roll with that. They’ve got to be ready to play. Obviously injuries are part of the game, but you hope your starters stay healthy, and you don’t have to rely on the backups. But they’ve got to be ready at all times because we went through that process last year, so we should be much better prepared.”
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