A part of Packers’ coverage plans
Linebacker Campbell can handle tight ends
GREEN BAY - Anytime there’s a change in defensive coordinators, jobs are certain to go up for grabs, and one of those spots for the Green Bay Packers is inside linebacker.
What former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine liked in that position isn’t necessarily what new hire Joe Barry has in mind, so the competition there has looked a little different during the first week of training camp.
Second-year pro Krys Barnes is still anchored at the “Mike” or middle position, but whether he hangs onto that spot will depend on whether he can make the jump from promising rookie starter to invaluable tackling machine in Barry’s new scheme.
And next to him, veteran Christian Kirksey is gone after getting released in February and fellow second-year pro Kamal Martin is buried behind free
agent De’Vondre Campbell, Ty Summers and Oren Burks on the depth chart. He will have more competition when sixth-round draft pick Isaiah McDuffie returns from the non-football injury list.
Things have changed so much that Martin took snaps at outside linebacker Tuesday after Randy Ramsey was lost for a considerable amount of time because of an ankle injury.
“We’re just trying to let these guys compete and find the best two out there at the inside spot,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Everybody has to earn it, no matter who you are.”
The wild card at the position is Campbell, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Packers in June. He has been a starter since being drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, including last season when he played 79% of Arizona’s defensive snaps while with the Cardinals on a one-year deal.
The Packers haven’t had a linebacker in recent years who can run with some of the better pass-catching tight ends and given they’ll face Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson, San Francisco’s George Kittle and Pittsburgh’s Eric Ebron in the first month of the season — not to mention Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, Washington’s Logan Thomas and Cleveland’s Austin Hooper later on — they could use someone like Campbell.
He was described by one scout as “an aware zone player with man-cover skill vs. the tight end. He’s been durable and he’s a good player.”
The 6-4, 232-pound Campbell, who has started 70 regular-season games, said he’s had to learn about the players around him in a hurry, but he sees an opportunity in Barry’s scheme.
“We have a lot of really good tight ends in this league, so personally I feel like it’s just a skill-set thing,” Campbell said Wednesday. “The league is changing as a whole. You have a lot of these tight ends that are like basically extra wide receivers on the field.
“So, just being able to kind of match up with them, I feel like I bring the size and speed that allows me to be able to match up rather than putting a safety on them. Sometimes, even if you have a really good coverage safety, most tight ends can overpower them due to size.”
Still unknown is how often Barry will play with two inside linebackers on the field. Much of it will depend on matchups and whether he feels playing a third safety in place of an inside linebacker gives him better coverage matchups.
But when facing a tight end who can line up wide or in the slot, Barry can go with Campbell and be better equipped to defend the tight end in pass coverage and take him on if he blocks on running plays.
In addition to learning Barry’s defense, he’s trying to figure out how he can best complement his teammates.
“I didn’t have the whole full offseason with these guys,” Campbell said. “So, right now is where I’m kind of trying to make my adjustments and figure out who the guys are around me, what their strengths and weaknesses are. Them figuring me out as well.”
One of those teammates is Barnes, who came from the bottom of the heap last year to become a starter in Week 1. He was supposed to be just a placeholder until Martin came back from a knee injury, but he wound up starting seven of the first eight games.
However, he tested positive for COVID-19 in Week 10 and didn’t play on defense again until Week 14.
He regained his starting spot and finished the season with 78 tackles, including five for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
In the offseason, Barnes dropped 10 pounds so he could feel leaner and play faster. Through the first week of camp, he’s serving as a three-down linebacker who relays the defensive calls Barry gives him.
“I can take a step back and breathe a little bit,” Barnes said about coming into camp with a year of experience. “But there’s still things I’ve got to grow upon. So, I’m nowhere near where I want to be.”
Barnes said one of his goals is to lead the league in tackles, but his first job is to hold onto his starting position. It’s hard to imagine him not starting in the opener against New Orleans, but there’s competition for that job and even Martin isn’t out of the running.
“I love the way Kamal attacks everything he does and he’s a great kid that puts in a lot of work,” LaFleur said. “But again, he’s got to earn it.”
Which is what Barnes and Campbell have done so far.