— It’s no coincidence that one of the most forgotten men in the Green Bay Packers’ secondary this offseason has also been their oldest.
At 36 years old, Tramon Williams is entering his 13th season in the NFL since being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans in 2006. But one team’s trash is often another team’s treasure; the Packers signed Williams to their practice squad two months after he was released.
He went on to play in 127 of his next 128 games with the Packers through the 2014 season.
After a couple stops elsewhere, Williams was signed for a $10 million dollar reunion last year. But his first season back in Green Bay took somewhat of an interesting turn.
Once they shopped Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the trade deadline, the Packers were in dire need of a starting free safety. Enter Williams, who offered the Packers an experienced, veteran presence on the back end capable of tracking deep balls efficiently.
That versatility is one of the things that makes Williams so valuable to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. It’s under Pettine — who Williams played under during his time with the Cleveland Browns — that the Packers are expecting to reap the dividends defensively and take a leap in year two of his system.
“It’s a big advantage,” Williams told Packers.com on Tuesday. Players returned to the facility this week for voluntary minicamp, giving them an opportunity to dive deeper into operations on each side of the ball.
“If you do the research in this league, a lot of people who are able to stay in a defense, year two is always better than year one. I thought we performed solid in year one, and in year two we’re expecting better things. Hopefully the guys come to work, get down the defense, get down the details and we’ll be ready when the season starts.”
Williams’ ability to fill a void at free safety doesn’t mean the Packers won’t target one in the early rounds of this week’s draft. They acquired former Chicago Bears safety Adrian Amos in free agency last month, but the jury is still out on just where he’ll play extensive snaps. He played over 60 percent of his snaps last season at free safety, but he can also play in the box as an alternative to his natural strong safety position.
Like Amos, one of Williams’ best traits — and possibly the best way to justify his salary — is being able to fill multiple positions.
“I’ve been one of the guys who’ve been in coach Pettine’s defense for years now from my Cleveland days, so it’s just that advantage of knowing everything and them having that flexibility of moving me around,” Williams said. “Not a lot of teams can do that, so I take pride in that also.”
2019 could be Williams’ final season — not just with the Packers, but in the league. While he has shown no signs of bodily deterioration, his contract with the team will have expired and he’d be on the cusp of 37 years old by next year’s free agency period.
For now, the Packers have the luxury of relying on Williams not just as cornerback depth, but someone who can step in and play a centerfield-type of role.
It’s a crowded room at cornerback with the likes of Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson, Kevin King and Tony Brown, but Williams, being a veteran, could be given priority on the depth chart this summer when the Packers open up their training camp slate.
Via: cheeseheadtv.com