If all goes right this offseason, veteran Tramon Williams will be back playing cornerback for the Green Bay Packers to start the 2019 season.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said Monday that the team views Williams as a cornerback first, although his versatility allowed him to fill in as a free safety to end last season.
“I think naturally Tramon is more of a corner, but he can do it all,” Gutekunst said, via Michael Cohen of The Athletic. “He’s such an unselfish player and such a pro that I think he’ll (go) wherever he fits in or whatever makes the team best. I think naturally he’s more of a corner. I think we all thought with Tramon’s skill set he was able to play the post, but we signed him as a corner.”
The next step for Gutekunst will be finding legitimate options to replace Williams at safety. The Packers signed Adrian Amos away from the Chicago Bears, providing at least one new starter, but Gutekunst must also find a capable free safety to team with Amos at the backend of Mike Pettine’s defense.
The roster just doesn’t have an obvious solution.
Josh Jones is much more of a strong safety/linebacker hybrid than a traditional free safety, and Raven Greene, Tray Matthews and Jason Thompson all lack game experience.
Signing a veteran or dipping into the draft to find a new free safety to work with Amos makes the most sense.
If safety is adequately addressed, the Packers would have the opportunity to send Williams back to cornerback, potentially to slot cornerback. Bashaud Breeland, who ended last season playing mostly in the slot, departed this offseason, signing a one-year deal in Kansas City.
Williams would join Kevin King, Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson and Tony Brown in a potentially exciting young cornerback group to start 2019.
Gutekunst’s preference for moving Williams back to cornerback highlights the need to get another safety or two this offseason. Expect the Packers to be aggressive in finding one, whether it’s during the final stages of free agency or during the first couple of days of next month’s draft.