The Green Bay Packers have announced that Tariq Carpenter is switching positions this offseason. The 2022 seventh-round pick was drafted as a safety but is now being moved to the inside linebacker position and hopes to win a job there.
The former Georgia Tech star has the size to make the switch. Carpenter stands 6’4” and weighs 225 pounds. That’s a little big for a safety, but the team’s two starting inside linebackers have similar size. Veteran De’Vondre Campbell stands 6’4” and weighs 232 while second-year man Quay Walker is 6’4” and 241 pounds. The top backup, Isaiah McDuffie, is listed at 6’1” and 227.
Carpenter also has the speed to chase down receivers or ball carriers and cover both sides of the field. He was timed at 4.52 in the 40-yard dash which is good speed for a linebacker. The physical tools are clearly there.
Green Bay Packers Believe that Tariq Carpenter Can Make the Transition
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is optimistic about Carpenter’s potential to make the position change successfully. “It’s just a move we felt like could be in the best interest of him,” LaFleur explained. “Because we’ve all seen his value on [special] teams and the impact he can make. It’s just another way to try to see where he best fits.”
Last year, Carpenter played in 14 games for the Packers but barely saw the field on defense. He was on the field for only 16 defensive snaps with most of them coming in garbage time of the Packers 41-17 win over the Vikings in Week 17. He saw most of his playing time as a rookie on special teams.
“I’m still growing. I still got a lot more work to do,” Carpenter said at OTAs. “Just my work ethic now, I’m always working hard. When I’m on the field, just sprinting to the ball. I’m in great shape. That’s just Rich [Bisaccia] checking on me all season, telling me to run. I just want to be able to run all day because I feel like I can be pretty good if I can just run all day.”
The position switch can only help Carpenter. The safety position is crowded and there is more of an opportunity to play at inside linebacker. There is a vacancy on the depth chart after the departure of Krys Barnes.
This year, Carpenter is again expected to play mostly on special teams. He has the chance to prove he can find a home at inside linebacker where his size makes him a better fit. The hope is that Carpenter is not a “tweener” who doesn’t quite fit at either safety or linebacker.
Carpenter could have a bright future at his new position. The opportunity is there, he just has to take full advantage of it now.
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