Greene Enters Season with Guns Blazing

Muscular safety Raven Greene is ready for whatever is asked of him.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It might have been the famous wordsmith himself, Mark Twain, who said, there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and the heights and weights listed on NFL rosters.

The Green Bay Packers list third-year safety Raven Greene at 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds. Greene’s biceps, which he loves to show off on the practice field, might weigh that much by themselves.

Greene weighed 197 at James Madison’s pro day in 2018, when he ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash after setting a school-record with 14 interceptions. Nonetheless, he went undrafted but made the roster. Greene had a breakout game against Miami with one sack, a near-interception and 26-yard run on a fake punt. However, a week later, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

Because he couldn’t run, he lived in the weight room. He returned last year with a rocked-up upper body and an additional 15 pounds on his frame to better handle life as the team’s dime linebacker. He played a big role with 56 snaps in the defensive masterpiece that was the Week 1 upset at Chicago. However, he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 against Minnesota and again wound up on injured reserve.

“I kind of shredded this offseason, so I’m sitting around 208,” Greene said after Saturday’s practice. “Regardless, I’m still playing a little bit bigger than my size, which is just how it is.”

Greene is built for the dime linebacker role that defensive coordinator Mike Pettine used so much the previous two seasons. Barring an injury, he’s practically a lock to man that spot again.

“He was going to be a big part of what we were doing, just kind of that hybrid linebacker/safety type,” Pettine said on Friday. “His versatility, his explosiveness was something that we missed, and we’re looking forward to being able to take advantage of it this year. He looks good. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s always been able to pick up stuff very quickly and we’re certainly expecting big things of Raven this year.”

While he might have built himself to fit that hybrid role, he needs to be more than just an in-the-box safety. With starter Adrian Amos missing the last two practices for personal reasons, Greene has gone back to his James Madison roots and played as a pure safety. In the practice at Lambeau Field on Thursday, he darted to the hash and broke up Aaron Rodgers’ pass to Jake Kumerow in the back of the end zone.

“I’ve played a decent bit of true safety and that’s what I’m categorized as on the roster,” Greene said. “Like I said – versatility. Wherever they want to put me, they can. So I’m just making sure my skill-set is exactly where it needs to be.”