The veteran cornerback signed to bring stability to a
struggling cornerback room before moving to safety. He may not have a future at
either position in Green Bay."When the Green Bay Packers signed Tramon Williams
last offseason
Mike
Daniels Jersey , the company line was he was there to play ball, not to be
a de facto coach. After making multiple subsequent moves to solidify the
cornerback room, Green Bay shuffled Williams to safety where he never quite
impacted the game the way many thought he could. Free agency offers myriad
safety options and a cache of high draft picks give Brian Gutekunst a host of
chances to bolster that spot in 2019 and beyond. Where does that leave Williams?
He can¡¯t cost the Packers more than $6 million to coach. Cutting the popular
veteran wouldn¡¯t be easy. He¡¯s well liked among fans and his work ethic provides
an outstanding example for a young group of cornerbacks, but cutting him would
result in just $1.2 million in dead cap, freeing up over $5.1 million in space
this spring. That could be enough for someone like Bashaud Breeland who, at this
stage in his career, is a much more impactful player, and nearly a decade
younger. For that price, the Packers would likely prefer Breeland to be out
there as insurance for Kevin King¡¯s inevitable injuries or Josh Jackson¡¯s
potential struggles. Assuming he¡¯d accept a contract of that size, Breeland
offers much more bang for the buck. If Williams isn¡¯t going to be a preferred
rotation player at cornerback, what about safety? Ibraheim Campbell is an
unrestricted free agent, Kentrell Brice is an RFA, Raven Greene is a former
UDFA, and Natrell Jamerson was a late-season waiver claim, which leaves just
Josh Jones at the position with any kind of real pedigree or experience.Campbell
showed well in a brief stint last season and could be an intriguing tender
option, while Brice should be an automatic pass. Keeping Tramon Williams may
legitimately be the best option at safety for the Packers in 2019. At the very
least
Jaire Alexander
Jersey , he¡¯ll be popular among fans for simply not being Ha Ha
Clinton-Dix. Or maybe he¡¯s not even the best corner-to-safety possibility.
Moving Tony Brown, a physical corner who acquitted himself better than expected
in 2018, to safety ¡ª where he could play deep, in the slot, and all over the
field ¡ª offers a low-risk, high-reward possibility. Brown¡¯s success at corner
and Jackson¡¯s relative struggles may also open the door for a position switch
some have been suggesting since Jackson got to training camp last offseason. His
zone background, instincts, and ball skills would be well suited to safety,
while mitigating any issues his lack of deep speed presents as a cornerback.
More importantly, they¡¯re potential long-term options at safety, freeing the
Packers up to make a shorter term bet in free agency for example. The risk of
moving Brown in particular is essentially nothing, especially if Breeland
returns to the team. Moving a former second-round pick simply represents a
riskier allocation of resources, but if Jackson is willing, it could be the best
thing for him. There¡¯s a middle ground where the Packers do both these things.
Keep Williams for insurance, let him start the year, and with as often as
Pettine plays three
safeties
Kingsley
Keke Green Bay Packers Jersey , Williams¡¯ presence won¡¯t keep the
safety-in-waiting from the field. This, however, precludes an upgrade which the
Packers need. Josh Jones, the one returning safety likely to be solidly in the
mix, works best as a box player coming downhill, or in man coverage. When he has
to play deep half or deep middle, he can be slow to read-and-react. Think of him
as an overhang defender, as the extra safety when they go to the big nickel.
Green Bay still needs two other guys. Between a loaded free agent class of
safeties and a versatile draft class, the Packers can almost certainly find an
immediate upgrade as well as a long-term one if they so choose. It wouldn¡¯t take
paying Earl Thomas $12 million or even someone like Adrian Amos $8-10 million.
Tre Boston got just $1.5 million last year and would have easily been an
improvement over Williams. He¡¯s available once again. Future rookies like Nasir
Adderley and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson offer speedy, ball-hawking coverage
ability deep and in the slot. Johnathan Abram and Deionte Thompson are
heat-seeking missiles who are athletic enough to be assets in coverage, while
Taylor Rapp is a jack knife the Packers could put anywhere on the field. If the
Packers have short-term options better than Williams, particularly when it comes
to spending the $5 million saved by cutting him, as well as a plethora of paths
to long-term options, what value does Williams truly bring? He was signed to
bring steadiness to a cornerback room that now has a future star and a
culture-setter of its own in Jaire Alexander. Green Bay moved him to safety
because Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was unreliable. An entire offseason could lead them to
conclude there are other players on the roster who could fill that void more
spectacularly than Williams, leaving him as a player without a position to play.
Maybe new defensive backs coach Jason Simmons needs help. There¡¯s no salary cap
on coaches.Packers expect Oren Burks to miss Week 1 vs. Bears, per report Oren
Burks hasn¡¯t played since suffering a shoulder injury while warming up before
the Green Bay Packers¡¯ third preseason game. Though the team hasn¡¯t given a
definitive update on his
status
Kingsley
Keke Jersey 2019 , it doesn¡¯t appear the rookie linebacker will make his
return in time for the season opener. According to NFL Network¡¯s Ian Rapoport,
Burks will miss at least the Packers¡¯ Week 1 matchup with the Chicago Bears,
though his shoulder issues shouldn¡¯t keep him sidelined for more than a few
weeks.Burks, whom the Packers traded up in the third round to acquire, expected
to see significant playing time following the season-ending ACL tear to veteran
linebacker Jake Ryan. That likely remains the case whenever Burks does receive
clearance to play. In the interim, Green Bay has used a battery of reserves in
Burks¡¯ stead, including converted safety Ahmad Thomas, undrafted rookie Greer
Martini, and the recently acquired Antonio Morrison. With the regular season
formally kicking off in less than a week, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine
could also consider shifting Clay Matthews over from outside linebacker until
Burks returns.The duration of Burks¡¯ absence could also impact which players the
Packers ultimately decide to take into the regular season. Of the reserve
linebackers, Thomas possesses the most similar skill set given their shared past
experience in the secondary. Martini and Morrison would have a harder time in
pass coverage, though each could factor into the run defense. Because of the
unique circumstances of Burks¡¯ injury and the roster spot opened by Aaron Jones¡¯
two-game suspension, Green Bay could ultimately keep five inside linebackers on
their season-opening roster despite rarely entering the season with more than
four.The Packers have to make their roster decisions official by Sept. 1 at 3
p.m. CT.