NFL Rumors: Moving Ronde Barber to Safety a Good Move for Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing to play veteran cornerback Ronde Barber at the safety position during the 2012 season, according to Tampa Tribune writer Roy Cummings. On paper, the move looks like a smart one for the Buccaneers. 

While it would depend partly on the availability of Aqib Talib, as the cornerback has been indicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, moving Barber to safety could get the most of the veteran NFL cover man while also putting the Buccaneers' best secondary players on the field for the majority of snaps. 

Cummings tweeted his speculation after listening to an NFL.com podcast that included Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik. 

"Listening to Bucs GM Mark Dominik on an NFL podcast," Cummings tweeted, "It sounds like the Bucs have indeed decided to move Ronde Barber to safety."

A veteran of 15 NFL seasons, Barber has begun to show obvious signs of slowing down. However, he has maintained his playmaking ability with three interceptions in each of the last two seasons. 

If the Bucs move him to the back lines of the secondary, Barber would likely serve as the free safety—a center-field type that reads quarterbacks and covers up for mistakes. Rookie Mark Barron would then be the in-the-box safety near the line of scrimmage. 

Rotoworld.com contends that the Bucs could also slide Barber back into the nickel cornerback role on third downs, with Cody Grimm replacing him at safety. 

From Cummings and the Tampa Tribune:

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Barber, who recently signed a one-year, $3 million contract to return for a 16th season, has always expressed a willingness to move to safety.

"I'm fitting where needed,'' he said after working at safety during the team's first minicamp in April. "I'm where there's a loose spot, which I'm all right with right now. It's good, it's fun.

"There is no transition. It's really no different than me playing down in the box all these years. I've done some half-field stuff and some whole-field stuff before, so it's not that much of a transition. It's just slowing my feet down from corner feet to safety feet. It's a bit of a learning curve with the verbiage and the assignments, but it's nothing I can't handle if need be.'

"

Again, such a move would be largely dependent on Talib—a penciled-in starter at cornerback—being available for Greg Schiano and crew. His status for 2012 and beyond is up in the air as he continues to deal with several legal issues. 

If Talib is suspended for a sizable amount of games, the Bucs would likely need Barber to remain at corner opposite Eric Wright. 

But if Talib is good to go for 2012, playing Barber at the back would give Tampa Bay their best four secondary players on the field at once in the base defense. Talib and Wright could handle the outside coverage duties, with Barron and Barber forming a complementary combination at safety. 

Getting your best 11 players on the field is something coaches try hard to accomplish, and that's exactly what moving Barber to safety would do for a young Tampa Bay defense. 

There are still worries—at 37 years old, Barber has lost a step athletically and his tackling was near the bottom among cornerbacks last season—but Barber has already begun taking snaps at safety, and this move appears to be one that can sap the most out of Barber's (likely) final year in the NFL. 

Keep your eye on Talib's status moving forward, but expect the Bucs to give Barber every chance to win the safety job. If Barber is successful in the transition to his new position, it should give the Buccaneers a considerable lift overall on defense next season.