Darnell Savage reveals why he didn't perform at his best last year for the Packers

The Green Bay Packers trusted safety Darnell Savage could play at a high level over several points. They traded up in the first round in 2019 to take him with the 21st overall pick, then three years later exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Despite some good moments in his first two NFL seasons, though, Savage never became what Green Bay expected, so they allowed him to leave in free agency this offseason. He signed a significant three-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Before he can get a chance at showing what he's capable of in Florida, Savage explained a reason why he didn't perform at his best in 2023.

He suffered a rotator cuff injury in week 13, against the Kansas City Chiefs, and played through it for the rest of the season.

"I finished out there a year, so I'm just recovering from that, but I feel great," Savage told Jacksonville.com. "It was just good to get back out there, and put on a helmet."

That shoulder injury came right after Savage had just recovered from a hamstring injury, which had made him miss four games. He finished the regular season with 10 games. In the playoffs, he performed well against the Dallas Cowboys — which included a pick-six on Dak Prescott —, but had a costly dropped interception on Brock Purdy against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.

New role

After signing a three-year, $21.75 million deal in free agency, Savage is expected to be a versatile piece in Ryan Nielsen's new defense for the Jaguars.

"I feel like my role here is to make plays," Savage mentioned. "I honestly love it here. What's not to love? We got a lot of guys in here that are young, hungry, dedicated, you know what I'm saying? And just look at the area, Jacksonville's beautiful. So it's not too hard to get used to it, honestly. I feel like it's been pretty seamless."

Darnell Savage had his best two years in the NFL in 2019 and 2020, when the Packers' defensive coordinator was Mike Pettine. Savage made the All-Rookie Team in 2019 and had 67.1 and 75.3 PFF grades.

After the Packers hired Joe Barry and started playing more two-high coverages, Savage struggled to adapt. His PFF grades dropped to 58.5 and 47.5. It got better in 2023, his last year in Green Bay, going back up to 66.3, but not enough for the Packers to keep him — instead, they signed Xavier McKinney away from the New York Giants.

At the end, it feels like both sides are happy with their new beginnings, and Darnell Savage hopes to have a healthy season again.