NFL Rumors: Green Bay Packers Must Move Charles Woodson to Safety

Not long after the 2012 NFL season kicks off, Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson will be turning 36 years old.

The upcoming year will be his 15th in the league and it's not the worst idea in the world for him to move back at safety. Which just might happen as well.

According to WAUK-AM Milwaukee via NFL.com, Woodson is willing to make the transition:

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Woodson said. “If one of those guys can take over that role and make the plays that need to be made at corner ... with Nick Collins leaving, [and if] they need me to play safety, I’m not opposed to that.

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With that in mind, let's take a look at how Woodson at safety will benefit Green Bay in 2012.

Experience

The man has been in the league long enough that he can react well to anything thrown over the deep middle or over the top of a corner.

For his career, Woodson has accumulated 54 picks and defended 177 total passes, so the instincts to anticipate routes will pay dividends against better passing offenses. This also gives rookie cornerback Casey Hayward an opportunity to play at corner with Woodson helping over the top.

Hayward is a playmaker in his own right with 15 career picks in college, so Woodson's presence at safety in the Cover 2 will aid the rookie's development.

Considering that Woodson has collected 37 interceptions since joining the cheese in 2006 as a corner, just imagine how he'll perform against a pass-happy schedule.

Schedule

The NFC North alone will provide Woodson with enough chances to make plays back deep, because the Bears and Lions rely on the passing game to move the rock.

Outside of the division however, the Packers see other passing teams like New Orleans and Arizona. Woodson will be needed to patrol the middle against those offenses as Green Bay is still vulnerable at the second level.

Other opponents on the schedule present potential explosiveness like Houston, Jacksonville and San Francisco. The Texans still have Andre Johnson and can air it out quite well if he stays consistently healthy.

The Jaguars field a much more threatening receiving corps with Justin Blackmon, Lee Evans and Laurent Robinson. Plus, Maurice Jones-Drew's presence in the backfield will force the linebackers to honor the ground game more.

San Francisco is the biggest threat with Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Alex Smith will take to the air even more in 2012 and Woodson utilizing his awareness in Cover 1 and Cover 3 will limit the deep ball more than a less-experienced defender.

Green Bay plays a tough schedule with all of their opponents improving their offense from last year.  Considering that the Packers ranked dead last against the pass and in overall defense last season, anticipate each team to attack that weakness.

Fortunately for the cheese, that also provides Woodson with more opportunities.

Opportunities

One of the more impressive aspects about Charles Woodson is that he's proven to get better with age. His previous four seasons have seen 25 interceptions, 65 defended passes, seven touchdowns, 11 forced fumbles and 254 tackles.

In short, despite his age, Woodson can't expect to get challenged a lot playing the corner position on the NFL's worst pass defense. No quarterback will test his side nearly as much as the middle of the field or opposite him, so moving back to safety is simply a chess move in favor of Titletown.

That adjustment also forces an offense to prepare more for the Packers' improved front seven. The Packers focused on defense in the 2012 draft, adding guys like Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels to stop the run, generate a pass rush and complement Clay Matthews.

This season, expect the Packers to defend better against the run, be less vulnerable to the play-action and apply a stronger and more consistent pass rush.

Woodson's increased turnover opportunities at safety is a by-product of that upgrade, because teams will have to continue passing against Green Bay to keep up with Aaron Rodgers and the offense.

As a result the Packers will have more sack opportunities, thus forcing more ill-advised throws.

In other words; Charles Woodson to safety, check and mate.

John Rozum on Twitter.