All it takes is an opportunity. Green Bay Packers safety Omar Brown is living, breathing proof of this.
The Packers looked set at the safety position, and we already knew which players would make the 53-man roster. Or so we thought. Brown has changed that with a stunning training camp performance, and he is on the cusp of something special.
Brown has turned training camp into his stage, highlighted by a three-interception evening during last weekend's Family Night scrimmage in front of a packed Lambeau Field. It took his tally to five picks across the summer. He enters the preseason opener with an opportunity to rip the Packers' roster plans to shreds.
Omar Brown can all but secure a spot on Packers 53-man roster in preseason opener
There's a surprise standout every year. It's Brown's turn, and the stars are aligning.
Head coach Matt LaFleur strongly hinted at playing his starters on Saturday night against the New York Jets, which is undoubtedly a polarizing decision. One player who won't be out there is first-team All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney, who may miss the rest of training camp due to a calf injury.
McKinney likely wouldn't have featured much, regardless, but his absence increases the available snaps for Brown, who should play a significant role in the weeks ahead.
His three Family Night interceptions followed the two he made in the opening week of camp. Brown has maximized his minutes in front of the coaches, and it hasn't gone unnoticed by his teammates.
McKinney knows a thing or two about taking the ball away, having recorded eight interceptions last season, and he had nothing but praise for Brown after his three-pick display last week.
"I'm proud of him, and I can't wait to continue to just see him grow," McKinney said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official website. "After his third one, I just said, 'Just stay consistent. Stay focused.' Because as you make those plays, everybody's patting you on the back, but you've still got to understand, you're still trying to make the team."
The Packers have their top three safeties locked into roster spots: McKinney, Evan Williams, and Javon Bullard. Beyond them, Brown will compete with former draft pick Kitan Oladapo and special teams ace Zayne Anderson to secure one of the likely two remaining spots.
He may give the Packers no choice. If Brown can continue to build momentum or, to steal a phrase Mike McCarthy loved to use in Green Bay, stack success, he could force out Oladapo or Anderson, or carve out a sixth safety spot for himself.
An undrafted free agent a year ago, Brown quickly landed in Green Bay after failing to make the Denver Broncos' roster last summer. The Packers had hosted him for a Top 30 visit before the draft, so their interest came as no surprise.
Brown spent the season on the practice squad with a front-row seat to McKinney's All-Pro campaign and Williams' rookie rise. At Family Night, Brown did his best McKinney impression with three memorable interceptions.
If he can back it up in the preseason opener, we'll need to swap the pencil for a permanent marker when writing his name in Packers 53-man roster predictions.