Grading the Packers: Safeties

Our grades are focused on performance relative to the salary cap. Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage started all 17 games together.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Player grades are a staple series of stories at the end of every NFL season. Ours are different, as we grade based on their impact relative to the salary cap. That’s because the cap is such a big part of building a roster. Not only must a team’s high-priced players deliver but it must have some of its less-expensive players outperform their contracts.

Generally, the Green Bay Packers got high marks from both groups in posting their third consecutive 13-win season, though too many fell flat in the playoffs.

This series continues with the safeties. All salary data is from OverTheCap.com. Analytical stats are from Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.

Grading the Safeties

Adrian Amos ($5.97 million cap charge; ranking No. 13 among safeties)

Amos started all 17 games and led the defense with 1,048 snaps. Mr. Consistency was second on the team with 94 tackles, tied for third with two interceptions and fourth with eight passes defensed. He’s in the right place at the right time every time, it seems.

SIS charged him with 29-of-48 passing (60.4 percent) for 281 yards with five touchdowns. While he dropped two picks, he had a big one at the goal line to keep the 49ers from scoring during the playoff game. Of 64 safeties with at least 50 percent playing time, Amos ranked sixth with a missed-tackle rate of 6.1 percent (six misses), according to PFF.

Amos will be entering his final season under contract. With last year’s restructure, his cap charge will be up to a lofty $11.98 million. The Packers can move on and save $4.65 million but it’s not as if there’s a young replacement waiting in the wings. He’ll turn 29 in April. An extension to save against the cap seems in order.

Grade: B-plus.

Darnell Savage ($3.41 million cap charge; ranking No. 29 among safeties)

Savage started all 17 games and was second on the defense with 1,038 snaps. He finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles, tied for third with two interceptions and third with nine passes defensed. As was the case with Amos, he neither forced nor recovered a fumble.

SIS charged him with 22-of-37 passing (59.5 percent) for 320 yards. He gave up six touchdowns – including two vs. Baltimore, one vs. Cleveland and one vs. Minnesota in consecutive games down the stretch. Among his three dropped interception were two opportunities at Minnesota. Of 64 safeties with at least 50 percent playing time, Savage ranked 58th with a missed-tackle rate of 16.9 percent (12 misses), according to PFF. He’s missed 42 tackles in three seasons while Amos has missed 20.

Savage will be entering Year 4 under contract. The team can trigger the fifth-year option if it chooses. Will it? Savage has turned in some strong performances and is an above-average starter but he always leaves you wanting more.

Grade: C.

Vernon Scott ($800,922 cap charge; ranking No. 121 among safeties)

A seventh-round pick in 2020, Scott was expected to compete for playing time this summer. Instead, he was beaten out by Henry Black and barely played. In three games, he played zero snaps on defense and 17 snaps on special teams. He contributed one tackle on special teams. If Scott wasn’t good enough to play on these special teams, what does that say about his future in the NFL?

Grade: F.

Henry Black ($780,000 cap charge; ranking No. 124 among safeties)

It was Black, an undrafted free agent in 2020, who beat out Scott for playing time as the dime defensive back. In 17 games, Black played 262 snaps on defense and 315 snaps on special teams, that latter figure ranking second on the team. On defense, he had 24 tackles, one interception (at Arizona) and two passes defensed. PFF charged with him with six missed tackles. That’s as many as Amos, who had 93 tackles. SIS charged him with 13-of-19 passing (68.4 percent) for 200 yards. He gave up touchdowns vs. Chicago and Minnesota late in the season.

On special teams, he led the way with 14 tackles and was probably the unit’s best player. However, if he would have stayed in to protect rather than run out on coverage as the personal protector, the season-killing blocked punt might not have happened and the Packers might have been playing next week.

Grade: C-minus.

Sean Davis $146,667 cap charge; ranking No. 178 among safeties)

Davis was signed to the practice squad in September and promoted to the 53 on Dec. 18. He was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft by the Indianapolis Colts out of the University of Florida. In 37 career games that include 16 starts, Davis tallied five interceptions, 15 passes defensed and 124 tackles. As a senior, he played in seven games (missed five due to injuries) and had two interceptions. In his one game, he played nine snaps on special teams against Cleveland and had one assisted tackle.

Grade: F.

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