Nick Saban is known to experiment in the spring. Just this year alone, he’s tried a quarterback at receiver and given a four-star safety early enrollee a shot at wide receiver. So when Saban decided to give cornerback Eddie Jackson a few practices at safety, it could easily be written off as more experimentation.

It could also be viewed as a sign that Jackson has lost his grip on a starting spot at cornerback.

Over the last week or so, practice reports have Jackson playing as a first-team safety, alongside Geno Smith, recently back from his DUI arrest. Earlier this spring, Saban specifically singled out Jackson as a player who needed to improve at cornerback.

Alabama was near the bottom of the SEC in long pass plays allowed in 2014, and Saban seemed to be putting at least some of the blame there on Jackson. The 6-foot, 194-pound rising junior started all 11 games he played in as a sophomore, but struggled on occasion and was lifted for Bradley Sylve and Tony Brown when he did.

With starting cornerback Cyrus Jones out for the spring as he recovers from a hip injury, those two aforementioned former backups have worked their way into first team reps, while redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey and former wide receiver Anthony Averett have played well during the spring as well.

Trying Jackson out at safety could help answer a question in Alabama’s secondary, especially if he continues to play as well in the A-Day game and in fall practices as Saban says he has over the last week. With Landon Collins, Nick Perry and Jarrick Williams all gone from last year’s team, Alabama lacks for experience on the back line. Smith is a senior, but his status will be in question until Saban announces an official punishment. Hootie Jones and Jabriel Washington are both talented but lack playing experience. The same goes for early enrollee Ronnie Harrison, who has impressed his defensive teammates with his play this spring.

Saban’s quotes from last week’s practice indicate that Jackson could be a hybrid player, one capable of shifting seamlessly between corner and safety. If some of the less-experienced players in the safety rotation struggle, Jackson can fit in there. His veteran experience and knowledge of the system could end up being much-needed at the position. If he’s called upon at cornerback, he can step up in his natural position. While he doesn’t have the speed and athleticism of Brown or Humphrey, leaving him exposed in some one-on-one situations, he’s more than capable of playing effective stretches.

In its first year under Mel Tucker, Alabama’s secondary is under the microscope. Adding some versatility to the stable of players Tucker has to work with will help the former NFL defensive coordinator find the right combination of players to stabilize Alabama’s pass defense.