Major upgrades at safety position spark Packers’ surge in takeaways

AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The position that ranked among the Green Bay Packers’ biggest weaknesses last year has developed into a major strength.

Green Bay underwent an offseason overhaul at safety by signing Xavier McKinney from the New York Giants and drafting Javon Bullard in the second round and Evan Williams in the fourth round. Their playmaking ability has helped the Packers (4-2) produce a league-high 17 takeaways heading into their Sunday matchup with the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (5-1).

McKinney wasted no time making an impact with his new team, as he intercepted a pass in each of Green Bay’s first five games. Now the two rookies are making their presence felt as well, something McKinney anticipated right away.

“They were always around the ball,” McKinney said. “From the start that they got here, they were making plays, whether that was punchouts, whether that was interceptions, whether that was big hits. You always knew no matter the timing of it, they were able to make a big play for us. I knew we had something special in training camp when I saw that.”

Now everyone else is seeing it as well.

Pro Football Focus has Williams and McKinney as the two highest-graded safeties in the league. Bullard’s versatility — he can play safety or nickel back — enables all three of them to be on the field at the same time.

“We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “As you start to see each week, if you turn us on and really watch us, there’s something a little bit new every single week and it’s kind of talked about. We’ve got to build and build and build and find what we’re good at, who’s good at what and really start to roll. I don’t think we’re there yet.”

McKinney and Williams already have combined for six interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Last year, the three Packers safeties who played the most (Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford) combined for only two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble throughout the regular season. Savage also had a pick-6 in the Packers’ playoff victory at Dallas.

Savage is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Owens is with the Chicago Bears. Ford was released by the Carolina Panthers before the season.

Green Bay allowed those players to leave while agreeing to terms on a four-year, $68 million contract with McKinney, who had spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants. McKinney has responded by collecting an NFL-leading five interceptions.

He’s a major reason why the Packers already have nearly matched their 2023 season total of 18 takeaways.

“I want to be the best version of me and I want to be as great as I can be,” McKinney said. “I want to be ultimately one of the best to ever do it.”

As his playing time has increased, Williams also has shown a knack for delivering big plays.

Williams played at Fresno State from 2019-22 before finishing his college career at Oregon. In his second pro game, Williams picked off a Hail Mary pass to clinch the Packers’ 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He punched a ball away from Arizona’s Greg Dortch on Sunday to force a fumble that Jaire Alexander recovered.

“We’re just being a little more ball conscious and getting more shots on the ball, and good things happen,” Williams said after the Packers’ 34-13 victory over the Cardinals.

Bullard doesn’t have any takeaways yet, but he has started all six of Green Bay’s games and ranks third on the team with 34 tackles as the former Georgia safety adapts to the NFL game.

“On the negative side, I struggle with patience,” Bullard said. “So I’ve got to be better with that. Patience is everything, man. So I’ve got to be less anxious about things and I’ve got be more patient. As far as on the positive side, (I’m) just being a sponge. Soaking up all the knowledge of these guys in this locker room.”

That starts with McKinney, who has guided these rookies while playing as well as just about any defensive player in the league. McKinney never reached a Pro Bowl in his four seasons with the Giants but certainly seems on track to accomplish that with the way he’s performed so far this year.

But he has his sights set much higher than that.

“My goal has always been to get a gold jacket,” McKinney said. “That mission, it won’t change and it won’t be any different until I’m obviously able to get there. I know it’s going to take a lot of work to get there, but I’m willing to do that, and we’ll see where it goes.”

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