Every year coaching changes, free agent signings, draft selections and other variables come into play and forces players into new roles. Often times, it’s the aging player who has to switch positions in order to save his career or a new scheme come to town requiring new responsibilities for the entire.
In this series, we’re going to look at some of the players who have found themselves in new on-field homes this season, starting in the AFC.
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Old Position: Left wide receiver
New Position: Slot receiver
One of the constants of the Peyton Manning era was Reggie Wayne’s relatively static location as the outside wide receiver on the left side. While the rest of the league was concerned with “formation variation” and creating certain matchups, the Colts were concerned with consistency and execution, and it was Manning’s familiarity with Wayne that made them a feared duo.
Under new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, Wayne has seen his role expand as he is now the Colts' primary slot receiver. Between 2008 and 2011, only 20% of Wayne’s routes had been run from the slot compared to 63% this season. Despite playing with inconsistent rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, Wayne is as productive as ever as he’s our second-rated wide receiver at +14.3 and his 2.27 Yards Per Route Run (YPRR) ranks fifth among slot receivers.
Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, and Jerry Hughes, Indianapolis Colts
Old Position: 4-3 defensive end
New Position: 3-4 outside linebacker
Just as the Colts were the model of consistency on offense, their defense was very much built along the same principles. The defensive system featured a strong pass rush from the front four with very little blitzing. Dwight Freeney lined up almost exclusively as the right defensive end and Robert Mathis as his counterpart on the left. Their job description was to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks with little regard for opposing teams’ running games.
This year, Head Coach Chuck Pagano brought in his hybrid 3-4/4-3 scheme that he ran with the Baltimore Ravens and much of the preseason talk was about Freeney and Mathis’ transition. How would they be used and how would it affect their production? To this point, Freeney has taken over more of the Terrell Suggs role in the defense while Mathis has played more of the Jarret Johnson position as a hybrid OLB/DE.
It’s been a much less intrusive move for Freeney who still spends the majority of his time as the right defensive end, though his 47 snaps in a stand-up linebacker position are more than his last few years combined. Mathis has played more of a traditional 3-4 outside linebacker while also putting his hand on the ground the rush the passer at times. Freeney’s Pass Rush Productivity (PRP) has taken a hit as he’s down at 6.6 after a 9.4 mark last season, while Mathis has improved to 10.6, up from 9.3 last year. Another huge adjustment for Mathis has been his 29 snaps spent in coverage compared to only 16 in the previous four years combined.
Both Freeney and Mathis have battled injuries this year and that has opened the door for would-be bust candidate Jerry Hughes. The Colts' 2010 first round pick has played more snaps this year than he did in his first two years combined. Many thought he was a better fit in a 3-4 scheme coming out of college and he’s excelled in Pagano’s system; he’s currently our sixth-ranked outside linebacker at +5.2 and he’s third at the position with a 14.8 PRP.
Cameron Wake and Koa Misi, Miami Dolphins
Old Position: 3-4 outside linebacker
New Position: 4-3 defensive end (Wake), 4-3 outside linebacker (Misi)
The Miami Dolphins are making the opposite move as the Colts as they move to a 4-3 scheme from a 3-4. Though the entire front seven has experienced role changes in the new system, DE Cameron Wake and OLB Koa Misi have been two of the major players. Much like Freeney, Wake’s general job, rushing the passer, has not changed. The big difference for him is playing with his hand on the ground on an every-down basis while being relieved of the majority of his pass coverage duties (Wake has dropped into coverage only 10 times this year, compared to 53 times in 2011). Last year Wake played in an outside linebacker position on 31% of his snaps, compared to this year where he’s only done so a handful of times. Even in the old 3-4 scheme, Wake was primarily a pass rusher, but the move to full-time defensive end has seen his PRP rise from 12.9 to 15.7. That number is first among all edge rushers this season.
On the other side, Misi has made the move to SAM linebacker in the new scheme. After rushing the passer on 29% of his snaps last season, that number has dropped to only 19% as Misi’s coverage responsibilities have expanded. He’s dropped back 109 times this season after only 92 coverage snaps in 13 games last year. As might be expected from the former college defensive end, Misi has been stout against the run (+5.6) while struggling at times in pass coverage (-1.4). He’s also seen a drop in his sub package snaps as 32% of his 2011 snaps were spent in the nickel compared to only 16% this season. Misi has made the full transition into a two-down, run-stuffing linebacker.
Michael Huff, Oakland Raiders
Old Position: Free safety
New Position: Cornerback
In one of the less likely moves of the season, Michael Huff has taken over at cornerback as the Raiders have been decimated by injuries. We often see cornerbacks move back to safety, but it’s rare to find a safety capable of making the switch the other way. Huff is not a complete stranger as he regularly plays over the slot and dabbled on the outside at times in 2010.
Huff’s first week at the position was Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a rough start, but it was not about Huff’s inability to cover as his -4.0 pass coverage grade for that game was the product of three missed tackles and allowing 79 of the 80 yards into his coverage occur after the catch. Since that game, Huff has played some really good cornerback; particularly the last two weeks where he has graded at +5.1 in coverage with five passes defensed.
Nate Clements, Cincinnati Bengals
Old Position: Cornerback
New Position: Free Safety
Making the opposite move as Huff, Nate Clements has made the more traditional transition as an older cornerback moving to safety. He still moves up to cover the slot in sub packages, but Clements has seen significant snaps at free safety since Week 2. Clements has generally been one of the better tacklers in the league, never missing more than seven in a season since 2008, but he missed seven tackles in his first three games at his new position. In addition, you see plays like last week against the Steelers where Clements’ lack of play recognition allowed for an easy 21-yard run for Pittsburgh running back Jonathan Dwyer. Though Clements fits the mold of safety-converts, it’s been a difficult start as his -4.4 run grade attests.
Ryan Lilja, Kansas City Chiefs
Old Position: Left guard
New Position: Center
Yet another in-season position change, Ryan Lilja moved from left guard to take over at center for injured starter Rodney Hudson in Week 3. It’s been a smooth conversion for Lilja who has graded at +5.8 since becoming a starter and in those three games, he’s yet to allow a pressure on his 112 pass block attempts.
Since Lilja became the Chiefs new pivot man, his vacated left guard position has not gotten the same production from rookie replacement Jeff Allen (-10.6). Still, Lilja's ability to maintain his strong play at a new position has helped the Chiefs offensive line rank fifth as a unit in PBE at 84.3 and a No. 2 spot in Khaled's recent offensive line rankings.
Eben Britton, Jacksonville Jaguars
Old Position: Right tackle
New Position: Left guard
Drafted in the second round in 2009, Eben Britton was expected to pair with that year’s first round pick, OT Eugene Monroe, to lock down the offensive tackle position for the Jacksonville Jaguars for years to come. Britton’s career got off to an excellent start as he graded at +5.1 in his first 22 games, but injuries that started in the middle of 2010 have become a major setback. Last year was more of the same as he only started three games, two of which came at left guard. The transition to the interior of the line is now complete, and Britton has struggled in his new role this season. His -8.0 pass block grade is fourth-worst at the position while he’s dead last in Pass Blocking Efficiency at 89.8.
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