GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Clay Matthews wasn't the least bit worried when he saw only three inside linebackers listed on the Green Bay Packers' roster after final cuts.

He did not, even for a second, think coach Mike McCarthy would renege on his promise to return Matthews to his natural outside linebacker spot after a season and a half of playing in the middle of the defense for the majority of his snaps.

"No, Coach's intention is to hold me at the outside linebacker spot," Matthews said. "There'll obviously be times when I rotate inside, but that's not something that's crossed my mind and I don't anticipate that moving forward. I'll make my plays on the outside. Just like the past seven years, I'll have my ability to go inside and provide a change-up."

McCarthy declared after last season that Matthews' stint was over at inside linebacker -- a move made out of necessity in the middle of the 2014 season to help a hemorrhaging run defense. Matthews stayed inside for another full season in 2015.

Even after the draft this spring, when general manager Ted Thompson waited until the fourth round to take an inside linebacker, McCarthy maintained that Matthews would return to the outside. That fourth-round pick, Blake Martinez, showed the Packers so much this preseason that he'll replace Matthews not only on the inside but also as the defensive signal caller.

"I didn't even start as a rookie," Matthews said as a way of expressing confidence in Martinez.

Jake Ryan, a fourth-round pick in 2015, will start next to Martinez. The only backup is Joe Thomas, who played extensively as the dime linebacker last season.

"My goal is to play Clay outside; that hasn't changed," McCarthy said this week. "So anything you do that's scheme-driven, there might be an exception, but his position is outside linebacker still."

That doesn't mean Matthews won't occasionally move around, but expect him to play mostly the right outside linebacker spot.

"Clay's an outside guy," Capers said. "Now, the whole time Clay's been here, there have been certain elements where he stems and moves. But Clay's an outside guy. Our three inside guys, we've got Blake, who's new in there. We like the job that he's done through the preseason. Joe played a lot of football for us last year, so we're anticipating him getting off on a good start. And then the same way with Jake."

Matthews had to learn last season to embrace things like tackles for loss rather than sacks. He recorded just 6.5 sacks, the second-lowest total of his career. It was Matthews' ability to pressure quarterbacks that made him the "Claymaker," as he was dubbed early in his career. He recorded 10 or more sacks in four of his first six seasons, including a career-high 13.5 in 2010 and 13 in 2012.

"I feel like it's my most natural, impactful position," Matthews said. "Getting back out there, it brings a little energy, so to speak, because I've been doing so much different stuff over the past year and a half."

For a season and a half, Matthews took one for the team and never publicly complained, even though everyone around him knew he yearned to move back to his old spot. Fellow outside linebacker Julius Peppers has noticed a renewed energy from Matthews.

"He's been eager to get back on the outside, where he does what he does best," Peppers said. "It's going to be good to have him out there applying that pressure from his normal spot on the right side, so I think we're all eager to see how he does. I know he's going to do well. He's excited about it, so we all are."