26 Days Until Training Camp: No. 26 Is Key to Defense

Packers safety Darnell Savage hasn’t always played to his high-level talent. For the good of the team and his future, that has to happen this season.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jun 30, 2023 11:47 AM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last season, Darnell Savage was benched. This season, Savage is expected to lead the Green Bay Packers’ safety corps.

What could go wrong?

With 26 days until the first practice of Packers training camp, there might not be a more important player on the defense than the man in the No. 26 jersey.

“You kind of want to start all over again and refresh,” Savage said during OTAs. “You don’t want to bring stuff from last year into the next year. You’re just eager for new opportunities, new experiences and new relationships, really.”

When Savage has been good, he’s been really good. That’s why the Packers are paying him $7.9 million under the fifth-year option. When Savage has been bad, he’s been really bad. That’s why he played off the bench for a month last season.

Among all safeties over the last four seasons, Savage ranks eighth with 31 passes defensed and 12th with nine interceptions.

Among all safeties in the 2019 draft class, Savage ranks No. 1 in passes defensed (11 more than Chiefs draft pick Juan Thornhill) and interceptions (one more than Thornhill).

As the 21st overall selection, Savage was the first safety off the board. He has more passes defensed and interceptions than the next three players, Jonathan Abram (first round, No. 27, by the Raiders), Marquise Blair (second round, No. 47, by the Seahawks) and Nasir Adderley (second round, No. 60, by the Chargers), combined.

Of course, there’s more to playing safety than intercepting the football. Big plays are great. Now, can you also prevent big plays? And, at a position that frequently aligns as the last line of defense, can you get the ball-carrier to the turf?

According to Stathead, Savage among safeties drafted in 2019 has allowed a league-worst 15 passing touchdowns (Adderley allowed 13) and has the third-most missed tackles with 33 (Thornhill and Adderley missed 34).

Overall, of the 48 safeties with at least 200 tackles the past four seasons, Savage’s missed-tackle rate of 11.6 percent ranks 39th. (Savage’s sidekick the past four seasons, Adrian Amos, ranks 12th at 6.9 percent.

Added together, Savage is one of six safeties in the NFL who allowed 12-plus touchdowns with a missed-tackle rate of greater than 10 percent.

Savage had eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed his first three seasons but slumped to one interception and five passes defensed in 2022. What’s been steady – as in steadily bad – is Savage’s tackling. Whether it’s technique or desire, he too often has been a liability.

According to Pro Football Focus, his missed-tackle rates have been 17.7 percent in 2019, 16.7 percent in 2020, 16.9 percent in 2021 and 18.8 percent in 2022. Generally, about 65 safeties play 50 percent of the snaps. By season, Savage’s missed-tackle rate was the second-highest in 2019, fifth-highest in 2020, 11th-highest in 2021 and fourth-highest in 2022.

Clearly, Savage is a talented player. He has delivered a lot of high-level snaps in four seasons. Had he collected even half of his eight career dropped interceptions, the narrative surrounding Savage likely would be much different.

With the decision to shop from the clearance section to replace the steady Amos, the pressure is on Savage. With his 26th birthday a month away, he needs to have the best season of his career, not just for the good of the defense but for the sake of his career as he seeks a long-term contract.

“I’m excited. I’m ready to go – like, right now,” he said. “Anxious. Had a long offseason to kind of think about last year, had this kind of bad taste in my mouth for the longest time, so I’m ready to get it out.”

It’s up to Savage to make it happen.