NORMAN — As the Sooners have navigated injuries and personnel changes on both sides of the ball, two position groups have seen more shuffling than others.

Cheetah and cornerback.

Both position groups have dealt with significant injuries, which have forced other guys into extended reps on the field. But they've also seen a disappointing lack of production from a few players, which has led the coaching staff to search for other answers.

Here's an overview of where things stand with those groups, and why they will be ones to watch as the Sooners head into the final three games of the season:

One thing was clear through the first few games: Kendel Dolby was the guy at cheetah, a hybrid position consisting of linebacker and defensive back responsibilities. He played in just nine quarters this season and logged 94 snaps, receiving a performance grade of 77 from Pro Football Focus. But his main effectiveness was his versatility — he lined up for 38 snaps in the box and 52 snaps at slot corner.

Since his departure, the Sooners have cycled through three primary options — Dasan McCullough, Sammy Omosigho and Woodi Washington.

With McCullough out through the first five games, Omosigho saw the biggest uptick in snaps. He saw a season-high 37 snaps against Auburn, then played 26 and 23 snaps against Texas and South Carolina, respectively. But as his production has dropped off, and has McCullough has further cemented himself into the defense, Omosigho's snaps have decreased. He's logged just 26 snaps the last two weeks, including just nine against Ole Miss. He finished with his lowest tackling grade of the season against Maine (25.0), missing two tackles in his 17 snaps.

McCullough has seen the most steady playing time there. He's averaged nearly 22 snaps per game since returning in Week 6 against Texas, and after a rough showing against the Longhorns, he's been a consistent producer. McCullough's PFF grade has been a 72.9 grade or higher the last two weeks.

McCullough, who played a ton of cheetah last season, has been asked to play the position a bit differently this season. Last year, he was utilized more in coverage. This year, more of his snaps are coming in the box as a pass rusher.

"I feel like last year I was playing more DB than I was linebacker," McCullough said. "I feel like with (defensive coordinator Zac Alley) this year, he's more so adjusted to me and what to call while I'm out there, so I feel like he has a really good understanding of who I am as a player, so it's been good."

But McCullough is only playing about a third of OU's defensive snaps. Washington has seen a lot more time at cheetah this season and actually started the game there against Maine, marking his second start this season. But he's also seen his playing time decrease. He's averaging just 30 snaps per game this season, compared to nearly 66 a year ago.

To add to the shuffling, true freshman Jarden Hardy played early first-half snaps at cheetah against Maine and performed well. They used him everywhere — he was lined up for nine snaps in the box, 16 at free safety and five in the slot. He's also played in five games this season and thus ineligible for a redshirt, giving the coaching staff no incentive to keep him off the field.

Brent Venables made it clear the Sooners will continue to utilize multiple options.

"We’re still trying to figure out that group of guys and continue to develop them," Venables said. "There’s only so many reps to go around when you look at a course of a week, so prior to (Dolby) getting hurt, everybody wasn’t getting reps. Dasan wasn’t even back yet. Sammy, actually last summer and in the spring, we worked him a lot at inside linebacker and less outside linebacker. Woodi’s been a move-around-guy, corner and safety and the dime and the nickel.

"So I think that is still a (group) that has a chance to continue to improve, to be a little more detailed. But those guys have done a nice job. The body of work is good, and we’re working really hard and diligently to get it better."

Following the Ole Miss loss, Venables deemed the cornerback room was "too inconsistent." So the coaching staff made a change for the Maine game, and there was a notable player lined up on the opposite side of Eli Bowen to start the Maine game.

It wasn't Kani Walker or Dez Malone. It was Jacobe Johnson. He played 40 snaps, which led the entire defense and marked a career high for snaps in a game. He played more snaps than Walker, Malone and Washington combined.

That is consistent with recent trends. Johnson played 24 snaps against South Carolina and appeared poised to see a bigger role moving forward, but an injury limited him to just six snaps against Ole Miss. Meanwhile, the experiment with Johnson playing offense has largely stalled out. He's played five total snaps on offense and only two over the last three weeks. When asked by OUInsider on Tuesday, Venables said Johnson will continue to see the majority of his work on defense and has shown better focus over the last few weeks.

Does that mean it'll be Bowen and Johnson seeing the bulk of the snaps at cornerback to end the season?

Malone played just three snaps against Maine, though Venables revealed that Malone has been "banged up" for most of the season despite not appearing on the SEC availability report. But there's been no injury updates for Walker, who has seen his playing time decrease the last couple of weeks. He played a season-low 32 snaps against Ole Miss and then played just 14 against Maine. In conference play, he's finished with a coverage grade of 48.4 in three of six games.

It's largely been those two guys at cornerback this season, particularly with Gentry Williams again sidelined by injuries, and the results have been mixed at best. The Sooners have allowed 32 passes of 20 yards or more, which ranks 106th nationally. Washington hasn't played much as a traditional cornerback and has a coverage grade of 49.3, which ranks third worst on the team.

Fortunately for the Sooners, Bowen has been fantastic. He has the second-highest overall grade (82.0) and the highest coverage grade (81.0). Per PFF, he's allowed just 11 receptions for 55 yards on 20 targets. Bowen is consistent and has given the Sooners an option who can play a ton of snaps at a high level.

But that other cornerback spot remains a question, and those snaps are going to be pivotal as the Sooners prepare for Missouri, Alabama and LSU. Malone and Walker are the veteran options, and there lack of snaps against Maine could be because it was an FCS opponent, but there are signs to suggest the Sooners are ready to move forward with Johnson and Bowen.

It'll be something to monitor.