Move from safety to cornerback paying dividends for Colts T.J. Green

Indianapolis Colts second-year defensive back T.J. Green recently started taking reps at cornerback in practice, after logging 36 total snaps all across the defensive alignment for the Colts in the opener. His first performance at cornerback came in Week 2 of the preseason, with mixed success. He finished with an overall grade of 71.0, but had a coverage grade of 61.0 with 27 snaps coming from the left boundary cornerback spot.
However, in the Colts Week 3 preseason game against Pittsburgh, Green moved around the secondary a bit more, logging 12 snaps at left cornerback and 11 snaps at right cornerback, and registering an 81.7 overall grade and a 80.6 coverage grade, second-highest in the game against the Steelers.
Just 11 days into his position switch, the change is already paying dividends for Green and the Colts as some NFL teams actually projected Green as a cornerback rather than safety when he declared for the 2016 draft. At cornerback, he was targeted four times as the primary defender in coverage against Pittsburgh, allowing just one reception for a minor six yards and fielding a 39.6 passer rating into his coverage.
All signs point towards Green picking up the position full-time with Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker as the team’s safety duo. If Green could combine his coverage skills and run defense prowess he showcased at Clemson in 2015 (82.9 run defense grade), the Colts could be much better off in the secondary.