An intriguing young athlete with a unique opportunity is typically a recipe for a creating a player to watch at training camp.
Raven Greene fits the bill for the Green Bay Packers this summer.
The second-year safety has a chance to play a versatile role in Mike Pettine’s defense in 2019, just one year after he made the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison.
During OTAs and minicamp, Greene replaced Josh Jones as the defense’s go-to third safety, playing snaps in team drills at both dime linebacker and safety.
Coach Matt LaFleur praised Greene’s intelligence and versatility.
“Yeah, Raven, he’s a smart football player,” LaFleur said to end minicamp earlier this month. “Again, (he) has shown some versatility whether we’ve lined him up as a dime (linebacker) or at safety. I’m excited about him moving forward.”
Pettine’s defense often uses a third safety to play a variety of roles in subpackage looks, including at linebacker and in the slot. Greene’s body type – he added extra bulk this offseason – and athleticism could prove useful in playing the run and covering tight ends and running backs underneath as a linebacker next to Blake Martinez in the dime defense. And having the intelligence to know the scheme and play multiple positions is a pre-requisite for the safety-linebacker role.
The uncertain future of Josh Jones should provide a terrific opportunity for Greene to secure the role.
Last year, Greene played in eight games before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury in early December. He played only 43 snaps on defense, but his 30 snaps against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 provided flashes of playmaking ability from the rookie. He broke up a pass on third down in the red zone and sacked Brock Osweiler on another third down.
Later in the year, Greene committed an ugly, 48-yard pass interference penalty in Seattle when he panicked and failed to find the ball on a deep throw from Russell Wilson.
In our rookie review of Greene, we wrote he possessed the “athleticism and anticipatory skills” to play safety, with the belief he had a real opportunity to earn playing time for Pettine in his second season.
Adding an ability to play down in the box as a dime linebacker will only increase Greene’s chances of making the roster and contributing on defense in 2019.
Training camp will provide the setting for Greene to prove he can be the versatile third safety for Pettine and a trusted member of Shawn Mennenga’s new special teams unit. The opportunity makes him one of the top players to watch when camp opens July 25.
Greene turned his flashes as a rookie into an impressive offseason. Now, he’ll have to make it all count when jobs are won and lost in the summer heat of camp.
