Why is Jarrett Bush on the Green Bay Packers 2010 Roster Instead of a Preseason Cut?

The Green Bay Packers announced their final preseason cuts before regular season play begins next Sunday. Once again, Jarrett Bush avoided being an August causality from his substandard play that has plagued the Packers secondary for the past few seasons.

The longer Bush remains on the Packers roster, the closer he gets to stealing the title "Most hated person in Green Bay" away from Ted Thompson. Jarrett Bush has been characterized as a player who, while having an athletic upside, has an overbearing ability of making costly errors in the secondary and on the special teams unit.

The Packers continue to maintain him and give him an abundance of playing time. However, should Packer fans be astonished over Jarrett Bush making the final roster cuts this season?

Ted Thompson has a preference for players who can play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. Jarrett Bush has the potential to play cornerback or safety in the Packers 3-4 scheme. He also adds value for his ability to play on the special teams unit. He doesn't appear to do any of these tasks well, but it seems more important to do them then do them well with Ted Thompson.

A more definitive reason for Jarrett Bush maintaining a roster spot on the Green Bay Packers is the uncertainty of the Packers defensive backfield. The Packers will enter the 2010 regular season with Al Harris and Atari Bigby on the PUP until week 7. The Packers cornerbacks include Sam Shields, a completely raw and unproven rookie, and Patrick Lee, a cornerback who's always one play away from the IR.

Had the Packers parted ways with Jarrett Bush, they'd been left with 5 cornerbacks. Patrick Lee's health vulnerability could easily have stranded them with 4. Sam Shields ability to hold himself up in regular season action is undetermined as a rookie. With only 3 other veteran cornerbacks on the roster, the Packers likely felt like they needed to keep Bush while Al Harris and Atari Bigby recover from injuries.

This buys the Packers six weeks to review their cornerback situation of Brandon Underwood, Sam Shields, Patrick Lee, and Jarrett Bush. Once Al Harris returns, there's a great possibility that Lee or Bush will be released (or in Lee's case, IR'ed). Since Al Harris's injury resistance has been shaky over the past few seasons and he's on the wrong side of 35, they probably wouldn't cut both cornerbacks unless they had confidence in Derrick Martin playing CB (then keeping Peprah). They'd probably keep 6 CBs.

Therefore, it seems like once Bush returns, it'll be Jarrett Bush or Patrick Lee. Who gets axed?

Patrick Lee needs to prove he can handle the physical nature of the NFL. He's never been able to show the coaching staff what he can accomplish when healthy, and this could be his final opportunity. Bush also gives them an emergency option as a safety and special teams defender and has years of experience in the system.

I'm nowhere near a Jarrett Bush supporter... but it looks like barring a transaction, Bush should be a Packers defensive back for the entirety of 2010.

Visit my website HERE for more sports information, including on the Green Bay Packers.

REFERENCES:

Packers Release 20 Players, Place 2 on Injured Reserve. Packers Official Website. September 4, 2010.