Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields, a fixture in the nickel much of last season, was demoted to start training camp. Jarrett Bush took his place with the starters in the base defense and Charles Woodson was moved to safety.
When the Packers switched to nickel, M.D. Jennings came in at safety and Woodson shifted to the slot.
These guys aren’t all that Shields has to worry about though.
Second-year player Davon House, who’s made considerable strides during the offseason, has replaced Shields in the dime occasionally during the early practices of camp. Additionally, rookie second-rounder Casey Hayward has been impressive, showing he’s fundamentally sound and can also make plays.
Although Shields has phenomenal speed, he gambles too often and needs to improve his tackling. As we’ve detailed before, if he doesn’t do that this preseason his biggest worry might be not be getting back into the nickel, but making the team.