Savage Returns, Focuses on ‘Long Season’

Darnell Savage returned to practice on Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury at Family Night.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage returned to practice on Sunday and is trending toward being on the field to face the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener in two weeks.

“I love the pace we’re at right now,” Savage said afterward. “Just us keep communicating, being on the same page and just growing closer and closer. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for us. I feel like we have a very special locker room. We have a special group of guys in here, so it makes it easy. But we need to be intentional about being close and getting ready because it’s a long season.”

In his first day back since suffering the injury on Family Night on Aug. 5, Savage said he “play(ed) it smart” and didn’t cut it fully loose. There will be plenty of time to get back into a full-speed mentality.

A first-round pick in 2019, Savage started all 17 games last season and logged a career-high 1,038 snaps. He has missed only three games in his career. He intercepted only two passes last season but dropped opportunities for three more.

With the return of Savage and Dallin Leavitt from what looked like a major shoulder injury, a position group that had been hammered by injuries suddenly looks strong. Second-year safety Shawn Davis had a training camp filled with big plays, seventh-round rookie Tariq Carpenter returned from a knee injury and turned in a strong performance against the Chiefs, and injury replacement Micah Abernathy went from the USFL to playing himself into the mix for a roster spot in a span of just two weeks.

“I think they did a great job,” Savage said. “That’s something I feel like we’ve been talking about that in our room for so long now – just the next-guy-up mentality. It trickles throughout. Those guys, they came in and attacked the day perfect. They asked me questions. I asked them questions to see what they were seeing. I think they did a really good job, all of them. I’m really pleased with that.”

True, but Savage and Adrian Amos are two of the driving forces behind what could be a powerful defense. They are entering Year 4 together. With so much experience together, they should have no problem hitting the ground running.

“The hardest thing is just being patient with those kind of things,” Savage said. “I want to be out there with my brothers. It’s really difficult but, at the same time, I’ve got to be smart for them, too. They did a good job of staying in my ear and told me it’s bigger than just right now. I just try to stay the course and get better every day.”