Although Tramon Williams will be turning 37-years-old before the upcoming season, there is still plenty of value that he can provide to the Green Bay Packers in 2020.
Photos by: Evan Siegle, packers.com
Right now names like Bryan Bulaga, Mason Crosby, and Blake Martinez are receiving quite a bit of attention in terms of Green Bay’s pending free-agent class. But one name that has flown a bit under the radar and one that I think there is plenty of value in bringing back, is Tramon Williams.
In Williams’s first season back in Titletown during 2018, it was a bit hectic, to say the least. Instead of locking into one primary role, according to Pro Football Focus, Williams was lined up all over the place. He took 122 snaps in the box, another 190 in the slot, 360 out wide, and an additional 383 as the free safety with that position being the mess that it was.
But fortunately, 2019 was different. With the emergence of Chandon Sullivan and a healthy Kevin King alongside of the one and only Jaire Alexander, the cornerback position finally had some stability. Meanwhile, a revamped safety position led by Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage allowed Williams to focus on his primary responsibility, which was as the slot corner. And he excelled.
While at 36-years-old and nearing 37, Williams isn’t the same athlete that he once was but as Mike Pettine has pointed out, being a successful slot corner is so much more than just athleticism:
“The elite nickels, slot corners in the league are the ones that have a high football intellect, they have some savvy there. There’s a lot more thinking involved in the nickel than there is playing outside, and this is a guy who’s seen it all. He understands how to play with leverage, he understands how to disguise. He just has that wealth of experience.”
And as Pettine put it, that savvy that Williams possesses led him to an excellent 2019 season for the Green Bay Packers. In 539 coverage snaps, Williams allowed a completion percentage of 63.5, gave up only two touchdowns, had two interceptions, five pass breakups, and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 86.5 when targeting him.
In fact, take this as you will, but Pro Football Focus’ final coverage grade of 82.2 for Williams was the seventh-best among all cornerbacks in 2019.
However, as I’ve already mentioned, Williams will turn 37 before the new season begins, so it’s fair to wonder if he can find similar success in 2020. And as the old saying goes, it’s always better to move on from a player a year too soon rather than a year too late.
While these are certainly valid concerns, I still think there is tremendous value in bringing Williams back for another year.
For one, as it’s been pointed out already, he’s coming off of a very good season and that veteran savvy that he has carries a lot of weight as a slot corner. So if the question is, can he duplicate his 2019 season? At this point in his career, the odds probably say no. But can he still be effective? I absolutely believe that he can be.
Next, I think adding more depth at cornerback is an offseason move that hasn’t received much attention at this point but is a move that needs to be made. The Packers have a great core in Alexander and King, not to mention that Sullivan looks like a real player. But after those three, we run into question marks.
Of course, Williams is a pending free agent, while Josh Jackson barely saw the field in 2019 and when he did, it wasn’t pretty. Ka’dar Hollman flashed in the preseason but is still a late-round pick coming off his rookie season, so we don’t really know what Green Bay has in him just yet. And in case you forgot, the Packers cut Tony Brown.
Whether they find their solution in free agency or with an early to mid-round draft pick, in addition to Alexander, King, and Sullivan, the Packers need someone who can step in and play meaningful snaps in 2020. So why not an experienced slot corner like Williams who knows Pettine’s defense and the players around him?
Lastly, re-signing Williams would be a relatively low-risk deal for Green Bay. Williams is coming off of a two year deal with an average annual value of $5 million, it’s very realistic to think that they could bring him back on a one year deal in that same price range- if not cheaper – with little dead cap repercussions if they do end up having to move on from him.
Now, having said all of that, I still don’t think that Williams falls into the “must re-sign” category that is reserved for Bulaga and Crosby. However, he does certainly fall into the “bring him back at the right price” category and bringing him back should be on the offseason to-do list.
It’s clear that Williams is still playing at a fairly high-level, Green Bay needs more bodies in the cornerback room, it isn’t going to break the bank to bring him back, and perhaps most importantly, if someone else emerges in 2020 or for an unexpected reason Williams’ play falls off a cliff, reducing his snap count or even moving on from him likely won’t be an issue.
In Brian Gutekunst’s end of the season press conference, in talking about Bulaga, Crosby, and Williams, he discussed how important these three were to this Packers team and how he’d like to have all three of them back in 2020. Well Gutey, I wholeheartedly agree, so let’s make it happen and make sure that Tramon Williams is apart of Green Bay’s upcoming season.
Via: cheeseheadtv.com