Even with two or three roster spots up for grabs this summer at the safety position for the Green Bay Packers, Vernon Scott, who is entering his third NFL season, may not have been front of mind at the beginning of training camp – or at least that may have been the case outside of Lambeau Field.
Prior to training camp beginning, the Packers signed Dallin Leavitt, a core special teams member in Las Vegas under Rich Bisaccia. Then there was Shawn Davis, who was consistently the team’s third safety during OTAs and minicamp, along with seventh-round pick Tariq Carpenter. There is also Innis Gaines, who made some noise last summer.
Despite the lack of defensive experience overall behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, this has been a crowded and competitive safety room this summer. And while each of the aforementioned players has a case to make when it comes to making this roster, over the last week, it has been Scott who has been flying up the depth chart.
During last Monday’s practice, Scott would intercept Jordan Love to end a two-minute drill. Then on Family Night, following Savage’s early exit with a hamstring injury, it was Scott who took over, playing next to Amos. That was then the case during Sunday and Monday’s practices as well.
Scott is a former seventh-round pick by the Packers in the 2019 NFL Draft out of TCU, where he spent relatively equal time lined up in the box, the slot, and as the free safety. He was also on the field for 476 career special teams snaps, an impressive amount, and he played a variety of roles.
As a rookie, Scott appeared in 10 games on defense and was on the field for 90 defensive snaps, along with another 184 on special teams.
He entered last training camp as a favorite for the third safety role but lost out to Henry Black. Scott would still make the 53-man roster, but he didn’t take any defensive snaps, and only 17 on special teams, while often being a healthy inactive on game day.
Although last season didn’t play out how Scott or – I imagine – how the Packers wanted it to for him, to some degree, this commitment to keeping him on the roster last season despite a lack of contributions does show that the team values what he can add to this defense; time was obviously required for him.
While it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, we did see Green Bay take a similar approach with Yosh Nijman in 2020, who was on the 53-man roster but rarely utilized, even when injuries occurred.
Black was on the field for nearly 300 snaps last season, according to PFF, and although that third safety may not have as prominent of a role in 2022 with the addition of Quay Walker at linebacker, it’s not a job that is completely going away either.
The Packers need someone who can play deep, as well as in the box and contribute on special teams from the safety position – all of which are roles that Scott held at TCU.
Green Bay may be 11 practices in, but there is still a ways to go with the preseason games carrying a lot of weight when it comes to these roster decisions. But for the time being, it is Scott who has been climbing the depth chart.
“I really just took a different approach to this offseason, tried to lock in and get better with my techniques and take care of my body better, and really come back stronger and prepared,” Scott said following Sunday’s practice via Packers.com. “My confidence has been high, but (this new opportunity) is just showing my teammates I can step in and they can trust me if someone goes down.”
