Like many of you, I get my offseason Packers fix by rewatching games from the past season.  I only watch the wins.  I seldom review the losses.  They are hard enough to deal with at the time.  Why rip off those bandages again? 

It’s interesting to me how, when seeing these games again, one or two players catch your attention, either for how well they are playing, or for how badly.  Sometimes both.  The other day I happened to be watching Green Bay’s week fifteen victory over the Ravens.  The player I kept noticing was safety Darnell Savage.  For most of the contest, he was getting absolutely roasted by the Ravens fine tight end Mark Andrews.  Andrews had a huge game, ten catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.  Most all of his receptions came with Savage in coverage.   When the third year veteran played back, Andrews would just cut in front of him and cross the middle.  Savage would be too late to the spot to stop the completion.  When the defensive back came up to try to play him tighter, Andrews easily won off the line of scrimmage and got open. 

However, later in the game, running back Latavious Murray burst through a gaping hole in the Packers’ defensive front, and bolted into the secondary.  From that point there was just one defender between him and an open path for a long touchdown run.  Savage was one-on-one with Murray in the open field.  He beautifully anticipated the ball carrier’s cut, lowered his body, led with his shoulder, and made a touchdown-saving textbook tackle.   

Late in the fourth quarter, Green Bay had blown a 31-17 lead.  Back-up quarterback Tyler Huntley had just led the Ravens to another score to make it 31-30 with 42 seconds left to play.  Baltimore coach John Harbaugh elected to go for two to try to win the game.  Huntley rolled to his right, again looking for Andrews in the corner of the end zone.  On this play, Savage was not directly covering the Ravens tight end.  But he quickly diagnosed the play, got a great jump on the pass, and managed to get his fingertips on the ball to help deflect it out of Andrews’ reach.  Game saved.  Packers win. 

That up and down performance is a microcosm of Darnell Savage’s three year career in green and gold.  The former first round draft pick is a tremendous athlete who can demonstrate great anticipation and instinct.  There are times he even does something that reminds you of, dare I say it, the great Charles Woodson.  But then there are all too many occasions where he seems to get caught flat footed in coverage, or misses badly on a tackle, or drops what should be a sure fire interception.   The inconsistent nature of his play has many fans wondering if its time to look elsewhere for a quality safety to partner with steady Adrian Amos. 

The Packers, however, have no such concerns.  Last April they did not hesitate to pick up the fifth year option of the ex-Maryland star.  According to Spotrac, the Packers will have to pay Savage just under eight million dollars for that extra season in 2023.  "Darnell Savage is a special talent" says safeties coach Ryan Downard.  "I think Darnell has the talent to be an elite player in this league......he is incredibly intelligent.  He is among the best I've been around in the ability to retain information."  

Number 26 appeared headed for stardom following the 2020 campaign.  He finished with a most impressive stat line:  In fifteen games he had four picks, twelve passes defensed, 75 tackles, and three tackles for loss.  The completion percentage against his coverage was 56 percent, and the quarterback rating against him was 67.3.  Those are the numbers of a budding star.  He was all over the field, finding the ball, wreaking havoc on screen plays and short crosses.     

But Savage appeared to be one of the very few players, maybe the only one, who did not seem to flourish under the new Joe Barry defense.  While guys like De’Vondre Campbell, Dean Lowry and Rasul Douglas revived their careers under Barry’s system, Savage looked hesitant, uncertain at times.  Despite playing in all seventeen games in 2021, his stats declined noticeably.  He had just two interceptions, twelve fewer tackles.  The completion percentage against him increased to just under 65 percent, and his opposing quarterback rating ballooned to 117.4 (Pro Football Reference). 

Yet he has received unflagging public support from Matt LaFleur and the other coaches.  They seem convinced 2021 was an aberration, and Savage’s ascension to stardom is inevitable. "He cares so much" adds Downard, "that he takes great pride in not making the same mistake twice.  I look for him to just keep getting better and better and better."

Let's hope he's right.  Savage's bounce back will be a key piece if the Green Bay defense is to fulfill the skyrocketing expectations for the unit in the coming year.  Especially since the team is woefully thin on talent behind him on the depth chart.