Honest assessment or building a trade market? Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that he’s been pleased with the “positive” start to training camp for Josh Jones.
The third-year defensive back skipped OTAs and didn’t participate during the mandatory minicamp, but he reported to camp on time and is operating as a backup safety for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.
“I think Josh has had a really good beginning of camp,” Gutekunst said before Tuesday’s practice. “In the four days, he’s shown up and made some plays. Obviously, the physical gifts are all there. He’s getting a lot of opportunity. There’s some really positive signs that he could really help our football team. We got a long way to go, there’s a lot of competition on the back end right now, but it’s been really positive seeing him do what he’s doing.”
The Packers have been playing Jones behind Adrian Amos and Raven Greene at safety and at inside linebacker in the nickel and dime subpackages.
It’s unclear how Jones’ role will change once rookie Darnell Savage returns. The Packers’ first-round pick was a starting safety next to Amos during the offseason workout program but has been out to start camp due to an oral surgery.
If Jones remains on the roster for Week 1, he could give the Packers an athletic and versatile player capable of playing an important role as a subpackage linebacker.
The Packers could attempt to trade Jones if Gutekunst feels comfortable with the depth at safety and linebacker at the end of the summer. However, it takes two to tango, and there’s no guarantee the Packers would find a suitable offer for the former second-round pick.
If Jones truly is having a positive start to camp, he’d be much more valuable to the Packers on the roster.
