Green Bay Packers: Offseason roster cut candidates
By Kenn Korb
Kentrell Brice & Marwin Evans
Brice
2016 Statistics
Regular Season (16 games; 257 snaps): 26 tackles (22 solo), 1 pass defensed
Playoffs (3 games; 76 snaps): 9 tackle (8 solo), 1 pass defensed
PFF* Rankings: 61.4 (overall), 67.0 (coverage), 51.5 (run defense), 57.2 (pass rush)
Contract Details**
Remaining Length/Cost: 2 years/$1,170,000 remaining
Potential Cap Gain/Dead Money: $540,000/$0
Evans
2016 Statistics
Regular Season (16 games; 17 snaps): 6 tackles (5 solo)
Playoffs (3 games; 25 snaps): 1 tackle (1 solo)
PFF* Rankings: 49.7 (overall), 50.1 (coverage), 63.1 (run defense), 57.9 (pass rush)
Contract Details**
Remaining Length/Cost: 2 years/$1,170,000 remaining
Potential Cap Gain/Dead Money: $540,000/$0
While the cornerbacks tended to put on an atrocious display for Green Bay in 2016, the safety position was much more successful. Morgan Burnett managed to stay on the field in all but one game, performing at a near-elite level in the process. Opposite him, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was one of the few players league-wide to line up for every defensive snap, and he was about as good or better inevery facet of the game as Burnett. Between those two, the majority of the safety snaps were handled with aplomb.
Still, it wasn’t only these two at that position who got to see time. Even in one of his healthier seasons, Burnett missed the Week 3 game against Detroit and then a large chunk of the playoff matchup against Dallas. Besides that, over the years the Packers have run a decent chunk of plays in “Big Nickel” packages (using a third safety rather than a third cornerback) under Dom Capers. Because of those factors, the third safety has been an important aspect of this team’s defense.
That’s where the safety spot needs some improvement. With issues damaging the cornerback spot all season, Hyde was unable to focus on being the usual designated nickel corner/safety hybrid he would have otherwise been, and the other options there were not even close to being positive replacements.
Brice was the main name relied on here. He picked up 333 snaps while appearing in all but two games (including playoffs). Most of the year he was in a bit role, grabbing between 5-23 snaps in the 12 games he participated in between Weeks 1-15; injuries then forced him into a larger role for the following month of contests (42+ snaps in 3 of 4 games) before his own injury ended his participation in the NFC Championship Game after 2 snaps.
Unfortunately, Brice didn’t play all that well in his time on the field. There was a significant dropoff in play between him and Green Bay’s starting safety pair. The difference was especially stark in the run game, where the elite level displayed by Burnett and Clinton-Dix was replaced by noticeably poor efforts by Brice. Also, think back to the embarrassing game against Tennessee this season. With the team on their way to giving up 35 points in the 1st half, Brice was trash-talking Titans receivers as if this were a competitive contest. That sort of situational ignorance isn’t all that uncommon among young players of course, but is still somewhat startling when guys can’t manage to use their heads and think responsibly — especially in situations like this, where the better decision is not only readily apparent but simpler to accomplish.
Evans was used far less than Brice, but he probably came out even less impressive. When he did finally get some snaps (12 in Week 17 and 25 in the NFC Championship Game), he showcased poor timing and brought few positives to the table. The image I’ll remember of his 2016 year is from that disappointing season-ending loss: In the second quarter Matt Ryan threw up a high-arching shot down the field that seemed certain to be picked off, but Evans terribly mistimed his jump, leaving himself flailing in the air while Atlanta’s Aldrick Robinson almost came away with an insane touchdown catch in the already-ensuing blowout. Robinson didn’t end up catching it, but Evans’ screwup was emblematic of a game where Green Bay found themselves on the wrong end of so many breaks when they probably would’ve needed most to fall in their favor to win.
Brice and Evans aren’t exactly lost causes — huge swathes of players begin their careers slowly before turning into serviceable-or-better performers — but there are clearly better options out there at the safety position. Particularly considering that the team uses a third on a large number of plays, Green Bay needs to work towards finding those options.