By: Paul Bretl 7/20/2024
With Green Bay Packers training camp on the horizon, I’ll be doing a position-by-position preview. Next up is the safety position.
If you missed any of the previous position previews, you can find them below:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Tight ends
Wide receivers
Offensive line
Defensive tackle
Defensive end
Linebacker
Cornerback
Roster: Zayne Anderson, Javon Bullard, Tyler Coyle, Anthony Johnson, Xavier McKinney, Kitan Oladapo, Benny Sapp, Evan Williams
Movement and versatility at the safety position: Whenever GM Brian Gutekunst was asked to describe what he wanted at the safety position this offseason, the one word that continued to pop up was “interchangeable.”
Free agent signee Xavier McKinney filled a variety or roles during his time with the New York Giants—playing deep, in the box, and in the slot. Third-round pick Javon Bullard spent ample time in the slot and as the deep safety at Georgia, while the Packers believe that fourth-round pick Evan Williams can fill a similar role as Bullard with his movement skills.
During the third OTA practice, in particular, we saw the interchangeability that this trio possesses on display. From play-to-play, McKinney, Bullard, and Williams all filled different roles on the back end of the defense. This included slot and free safety snaps for Bullard, with McKinney and Williams both lining up deep and in the box.
There were also several instances where all three were on the field together, and there was a good amount of post-snap movement as well, with the safeties changing their positioning once the ball was snapped.
“I like to say this is the best group that I’ve been apart of since I’ve been in the league and that’s from me to whoever the last person is,” said McKinney about the safety room. It don’t matter. I think everybody’s done a great job.
“I think the talent level in our room is out of this roof. And it’s just going to be fun to play with these guys because everybody is smart. So we all working off of each other and we’re able to build off of each other and compete with each other and make each other better.”
Adding this level of versatility among multiple players to the safety position generates a layer of unpredictability to the Packers’ defense. Pre-snap, opposing offenses won’t be able to necessarily get a beat on what responsibility each player has or where they might end up as the play unfolds based solely upon who is on the field or where each safety is initially lined up.
From a game-planning perspective, this feature also opens up the playbook for Jeff Hafely, who has the flexibility to change things up from week-to-week depending on the opponent and what the Packers want to take away.
McKinney is a perfect fit for what Jeff Hafley wants in a safety: When Hafley was meeting with reporters for the first time during his introductory press conference, he described what he wanted in his perfect safety. As McKinney would quickly point out, there is no perfect football player, but he does seemingly check every box that Hafley detailed.
“I don’t think any player’s perfect,” said McKinney, “but I will tell you that I’m striving for that. Every day I go out at practice, it’s going to be everything that I’ve got, 100 percent, and same way for the games.”
The traits that Hafley mentioned when discussing the safety position included the need to eliminate explosive plays–an area this Packers’ defense struggled last season. However, in 2023, McKinney would surrender just 8.7 yards per catch, the seventh-lowest rate among all safeties.
Hafley noted that he is looking for a safety who plays with his “hair on fire” in the run game, as he described it. Once again, McKinney was among the best at his position group last season, ranking sixth in tackles against the run.
Having a reliable tackler is a must at the safety position, and is an area where McKinney has excelled. Last season, McKinney missed just 5.7 percent of his 122 total tackle attempts–the lowest among all safeties.
“I think it’s just how I prepare,” said McKinney about his ability as a tackle. “I practice hard. When you practice hard you usually play pretty hard. I critique myself a whole bunch. I get better at the small things. I try to perfect my craft. That’s always how I’ve been.
“Obviously, like I don’t go into it like I’m not trying to miss a certain amount of tackles. I just go out there and play and see where the ball lands. That’s kinda just how it is. I’m going to try to improve that number from what it was last year because I think even that six or seven (missed tackles) is too much for a safety. We’re going to get that number down for sure.”
Another area that Hafley emphasized was the need for ball production at this position. Over McKinney’s four year career, he has recorded nine interceptions and, in the last two seasons, he’s totaled seven pass breakups.
Lastly, Hafley discussed the importance of communication at safety. Pre-snap, it is the job of the safety to make sure everyone on the back-end is aligned and on the same page when it comes to their responsibilities so that coverage breakdowns and big plays don’t ensue.
“I think ever since high school days and even before,” said McKinney about being a leader, “I’ve always kinda been in that position to lead vocally and with my play, so I think just being here is going to elevate it a lot more.
“Having the guys and the talent around me to be able to help me and improve, but the leadership is still going to be the same. It’s going to be better than what it has already been in the past. I’m just trying to continue to keep growing and keep being a better player, a better teammate and that’s really what the goal is for me.”
Javon Bullard and Evan Williams bring aggressive play-style to secondary: If the word “interchangeable” was a key theme at the safety position this offseason for the Packers, then “run and hit” was the other. It’s not only a scheme change defensively that the Packers are undertaking, but Jeff Hafley is helping to bring a different mentality to that side of the ball as well, and the additions of Bullard and Williams will be key in helping that play-style flourish.
Having already detailed the importance of versatility at this position, the other important element needed at safety is an aggressive, flying around the field type of mentality. Bullard’s college coach Kirby Smart would call him a “little stick of dynamite. Measuring in at 5-10 – 198 pounds, Bullard plays like a bigger safety, while still having the versatility to be moved around and the superb coverage skills.
“He’s 200 pounds and he shows up with the intention of making the physical tackle,” assistant director of college scouting Pat Moore said. “So, he plays with high energy. Volatile’s not the word, but he’s aggressive and physical and plays football in a physical and aggressive, energetic manner.”
Although Williams didn’t have the same number of opportunities in the slot as Bullard did, the Packers believe that’s a role he can handle with his movement skills. But in addition to his coverage abilities, which since 2021 generated three turnovers and seven pass breakups, Williams proved to be a sound tackler, willing run defender, and an effective blitzer over his college career.
“The thing that we liked about all of them is they have a very very aggressive play style,” said Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan about the rookie safeties. “They’ll get off the spot and come get it. That’s something that was attractive to us. So yeah, we’re glad to add them to the room. They’re the right kind of guys to put in the locker room. This game’s very important to them, it means something. Just glad to add them to the equation.”
Oladapo will have to play catchup after missing offseason programs with an injury: Oladapo was also not on the practice field for OTAs or minicamp after sustaining a toe injury while participating in the on-field drills during the NFL Combine.
“I was like, really?” said Oladapo during rookie minicamp. “It was the third drill. I did the vertical, the 40 and but I just wanted to put on a good show for all the teams there. It was devastating but you’ve got to get through it. I did power through it and did my Pro Day and figured out it was more than just turf toe.”
Oladapo was place on the non-football injury list on Wednesday, and although he didn’t specify a target date for when he’d be available but he did mention that sometime in August is when we could see him on the practice field.
With Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, and Evan Williams also at safety, Oladapo may end up being a core special teams player as a rookie for the Packers, while defensively, he fills more of the traditional safety role, as GM Brian Gutekunst put it, able to play both the “free and strong safety role,” along with being someone who can line up as a “big nickel Sam linebacker.”
The added challenge for Oladapo this offseason, along with being injured, is having to take in a new defensive scheme and the language that goes with it, without being able to apply what he’s learning in the meeting rooms on the practice field.
“As we can move him around more,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, “the walk throughs are going to become vital because these guys, you teach them what you can but until you go out and do it and walk through it, that’s to me where the real learning takes place.
“You can sit in a classroom and learn something but until you either have to teach it back or you take them out there physically let them walk through it, that’s I think where the growth takes place.”
Is Anthony Johnson the fourth safety? As OTAs and minicamp went on, we saw Bullard and Williams taking more snaps with the starting defense. However, as the two rookies got acclimated to the new playbook and going through an NFL practice, it was Johnson who saw his share of starting snaps next to McKinney.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Johnson will be the Week 1 starter, but it does go to show a level of comfortability that the coaches have with Johnson defensively, allowing them to bring Bullard and Williams along as they see fit, rather than throwing both immediately into the starting lineup.
“He’s done a nice job,” said Matt LaFleur. “He’s trying to take his game to the next level. Certainly, it’s definitely a different scheme so there’s a lot of new learning. It’s far from perfect but you attack it the right way with the right mentality, you’re going to get the most growth. That’s what we’re seeing from him.
“He’s done a great job and he’s embraced the competition, because that is going to be a great competition there with the number of young guys that we got coming in. There’s a couple vets there, too that are going to push him.”
Due to injuries at the safety position last season, Johnson saw some starting opportunities at the safety position as a rookie, playing 334 defensive snaps. On seven targets, Johnson allowed five completions for 60 yards, but had an interception and a pass breakup, along with a passer rating when targeted of just 57.7. Johnson also emerged as a core special teams contributor.
As of now, I would put him as the fourth safety on this depth chart and someone who will be on the initial 53-man roster.
Zayne Anderson or Benny Sapp better be really good on special teams: Of the five safeties mentioned, it’s possible that these are the players who make up the safety room on the Packers’ 53-man roster. If Anderson or Sapp are going to make a roster push, they’ll have to stand out on special teams.
After missing the first part of the season with injury, Anderson would play 152 special teams snaps from Week 9 on, and did so across a few different units. Sapp would spend most of the year on the practice squad, but was elevated from the practice squad on a few occasions before being signed to the active roster. Over the final five games, Sapp played 40 special teams snaps.
“I think I’ve taken a lot of steps this year in terms of the playbook and being where I’m supposed to be,” said Anderson. “And with special teams, that’s my gig. I love special teams, I love it and I’m really going to embrace that and hopefully be one of the better guys in the league.”
With the players that the Packers have at the top of the depth chart, special teams play will be the main factor in determining if either of these players makes the team. And when it comes to special teams play, Anderson and Sapp aren’t only competing against each other, but with other position groups, such as cornerback , linebacker, and tight end–other special teams heavy positions.
During the LaFleur era, we haven’t seen the Packers roster six safeties on the initial 53-man but over the course of the season, they do tend to go heavy at this position. An example of this came during the 2022 season when the Packers had 5.47 safeties on average active on their game-day rosters and an average of 5.71 safeties on their 53-man plus elevated players lists each week.
When it comes to roster construction, going with an additional player at one position means going light elsewhere, which is why I say that either Anderson or Sapp will have to be really good on teams.