The look of the Green Bay Packers’ reshuffled secondary might not be known until Sunday night in New England, but early indications suggest veteran cornerback Tramon Williams might help Mike Pettine’s defense replace safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was traded to Washington on Tuesday.
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Williams received “some work” with the safety group during Wednesday’s practice.
The Packers have four other safeties on the roster in Kentrell Brice, Jermaine Whitehead, Josh Jones and rookie Raven Greene. Brice is a starter, Whitehead has played a versatile role in several subpackages and Jones is likely to gain more opportunities.
But Williams is also an option, and potentially a good one. He has experience at the position in Pettine’s defense, having started a few games at safety while with the Cleveland Browns in 2016. He’s also instinctive with his eyes on the quarterback and despite being 35, still quick as ever.
While not an enforcer by any means, Williams could actually improve what the Packers do in pass coverage on the backend, providing a true centerfielder-type who can also drop into the slot and cover receivers and tight ends with ease.
Coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday the Packers would be open to moving players around to make it work at safety. GM Brian Gutekunst didn’t sound concerned about the dropoff despite losing a five-year starter at the position.
It’s possible they both like the depth at cornerback and are comfortable giving Williams opportunities to play safety, calming fears of the impact of moving Clinton-Dix midway through the season.