Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine admitted need did play a role in giving Natrell Jamerson snaps at safety this offseason, but that positional flexibility could still help the former Badger stick as one of the team’s defensive backs by the end of the summer.
Jamerson, who was claimed by the Packers last December, played snaps at safety and slot cornerback during the offseason workout program.
“He does have position flexibility. He’s played out there (at safety). We know we can always put him back out there,” Pettine said, via the team’s official site. “He is playing some inside corner. He’s played some nickel this spring. But he does have a solid skill set for safety. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s shown that he can tackle. I feel good about where he is going into training camp.”
Jamerson was drafted as a cornerback by the New Orleans Saints, played cornerback with the Houston Texans and was claimed as a cornerback by the Packers. But he played safety his final year at Wisconsin, and the shuffling of the Packers’ safety room – highlighted most recently by the absence of Josh Jones – provided an opportunity for Jamerson to get back to playing from the back end of the defense.
It’s possible safety could end up being his best position, especially based on how he played en route to becoming an All-Big Ten pick as a senior.
There’s certainly a need at safety in Green Bay. Veteran Tramon Williams is back to playing cornerback full time after a brief stint at safety in 2018, Jones is now a huge question mark going into training camp and the five others who played the most snaps at safety last year – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Kentrell Brice, Jermaine Whitehead, Eddie Pleasant and Ibraheim Campbell – are no longer on the roster.
If Jones wiggles his way out of the Packers’ plans for 2019, Jamerson could become the favorite to be the defense’s fourth safety behind Adrian Amos, rookie Darnell Savage and Raven Greene.
Having the flexibility to come down in the box and play slot cornerback only adds to his potential value. And he’s experienced in a variety of roles on special teams.
Fringe roster types must be able to differentiate themselves from other fringe roster types to make the team. Jamerson’s versatility as a safety/slot cornerback hybrid could eventually give him a deciding factor for making the 53-man roster.
