Ryan Grant finds a lane during Family Night on Aug. 6. Credit: Benny Sieu

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Green Bay - Running back Ryan Grant, facing the possibility of being released by the Green Bay Packers, strengthened his chances of making the final roster by accepting a $1 million pay cut in exchange for a guaranteed contract.

The Packers and Alan Herman, the agent for Grant, negotiated a restructured deal Aug. 9 in which Grant's base salary was reduced from $3.5 million to $2.5 million. His cap salary this year decreased from $4.797 million to $3.797 million.

In return, Grant's new base salary of $2.5 million was fully guaranteed against both skill and injury, according to financial information obtained by the Journal Sentinel.

Thus, if the Packers were to cut Grant on the final roster reduction Sept. 3, they would have to pay him the $2.5 million. Before the restructuring, they wouldn't have had to pay him the $3.5 million if he had been waived before the start of the regular season.

No other alterations were made to the final year of the four-year, $18 million contract that Grant signed in August 2008.

Earlier this month, Grant was paid a roster bonus of $1 million on the 15th day of the NFL year. He can earn another $750,000 in incremental roster bonuses by being active for games.

For Grant, it was protection against a potential dramatic loss in income. Had Grant been released, he might have had to play elsewhere for the $685,000 minimum salary.

After his largely unimpressive training camp, it was possible that Grant, 28, has been competing with improving Dimitri Nance, 23, for one roster berth. Nance's base salary is $450,000.

For the Packers, they gained $1 million under the salary cap, space they could use to resign such veterans as Josh Sitton, Jermichael Finley and Scott Wells.

The Packers also picked up an additional $980,000 of cap room on Aug. 9 when Herman approved an accounting change involving the contract of safety Nick Collins. The shift of money did not represent a pay cut for Collins.

With the gains, the Packers are $12.737 million beneath their adjusted salary cap of $121.935 million, giving them the 12th most space in the NFL.

Big night: With one or two backup safety jobs on the line, Brandon Underwood will see extensive playing time with the No. 2 defense Friday night in Indianapolis.

"I know I can play safety," Underwood said. "I know how physical I am. All I can do is go out and give great effort."

Underwood, a sixth-round draft choice in 2009 as a cornerback, returned Monday after missing two weeks with a sprained knee. Other than a few garbage snaps at Atlanta in January, Underwood will be playing safety in a Packers' game for the first time.

"We have not seen him hit," safeties coach Darren Perry said. "We have seen him hit on special teams. I just want to see if he can play safety."

Underwood, 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, appeared surprised when asked if he had the defense down. "Don't you hear the calls I'm making?" he said. "I'm out there like a quarterback in the back of the field."

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said time remains for Underwood to make the team. Capers, acknowledging that Underwood's versatility made him attractive, was asked if Underwood would hit.

"We'll find out," he said. "Those are things maybe you don't get to see all the situations and you have to bet on the outcome.

"I'll say this. That first year, I thought he was a pretty good tackler and was tougher than I thought he would be when you looked at him physically. He is a good athlete."

Behind Morgan Burnett and Collins, Underwood probably is competing for two jobs with Charlie Peprah, Anthony Levine, M.D. Jennings and Anthony Bratton.

Never know:Kevin Greene, who coaches the outside linebackers, was just getting started grading the Arizona tape shortly before midnight Friday when Frank Zombo called to inform him that his shoulder blade had been broken in pregame warm-ups.

Zombo, who played about a half, was injured when blocked by fullback John Kuhn during a routine 11-on-11 play.

"I had a block on the back side, and Zombo was the guy," Kuhn said. "There was nothing unusual about it. The object is not to go out and really thump each other. Everybody knows it's the time to start getting pads down and get in a level you're going to play a game at.

"Just a freak accident. Just a scripted play, pretty much the same plays every week."

Thin test: The Packers will face a Colts offense that has been abysmal without Peyton Manning, who is out indefinitely with a neck injury. Led by Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky, the Indy quarterbacks have a two-game passer rating of 36.5.

"They're trying to play within the scheme," said Capers. "You're going to run the stuff because you've got 10 other guys you have to get ready.

"They've gravitated to the point, I don't know if you can ask any other quarterback to do the things he does. Peyton Manning is the master of getting you to show your hand. That part of it would be beneficial."

As the Packers look ahead to Sept. 8, they know New Orleans and Drew Brees will provide a much sterner challenge than they will have seen in exhibition games.

"The good thing is that for 40 days we get to practice against No. 12 ( Aaron Rodgers)," defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said. "Just like today, the two-minute drive. There's none better. It's great work for us. You saw they actually scored on us today. We see 12 every day."

The Colts will be helped by the return of wide receiver Reggie Wayne. They won't have wide receivers Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez due to injury.

Logjam: A year ago, Sam Shields seized the No. 3 cornerback job in a crowded field. Shields remains No. 3, but Davon House, JarrettBush, Josh Gordy, Pat Lee and Brandian Ross haven't claimed the No. 4 berth.

"There's nobody that has jumped out like Sam did last year," cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. "I'm going to try to split the reps up fairly and get a look at everybody."