The Green Bay Packers benched starting safety and 2019 first-round pick Darnell Savage to open Sunday night’s showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
On the defense’s first play, Rudy Ford started next to Adrian Amos at safety and Keisean Nixon was the nickel cornerback.
Later on the drive, Savage entered the game as the dime cornerback. He was injured while missing a tackle attempt on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Per the Packers, Savage has a foot injury and is questionable to return.
Savage was the 21st overall pick in the 2019 draft. He had started all 57 of his NFL appearances – including all 11 games this season – before Sunday night.
Savage was at least partially responsible for a handful of coverage breakdowns during the Packers’ loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 11. Coach Matt LaFleur said during the week that personnel changes could be coming to combat the recurring mistakes and breakdowns.
