May 11 2009
B.J. Raji to Play DE for Green Bay?
The Packers drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 NFL Draft out of concern that their current nose tackle, Ryan Pickett, wouldn’t be able to fill the middle of the defensive line effectively for an entire game. The Packers brought Dom Capers on board to coordinate their defense and his intended transition to a 3-4 defense has called into question whether Pickett is a real fit in that defensive scheme.However, Raji apparently won’t be simply thrown into the nose tackle position. He’ll have to compete with Pickett for the position.
If Pickett can hold his own and keep his starting position, B.J. Raji will be cross-trained as a defensive end. The biggest advantage this would give Capers and the Packer defense is versatility and the element of surprise. With Pickett still holding down the fort in the middle and an experienced nose tackle playing defensive end, the Packers could easily shift from 3-4 to 4-3 with little personnel changes. In fact, if Aaron Kampman gets moved to the fourth linebacker position, the Packers could actually make that transition in the middle of an audible by the opposing quarterback.
We’ll see how things pan out at the nose tackle position for the Green Bay Packers, but things could get interesting on defense for a team that was abysmal against the run last year.
