Paul Bretl | 9/2/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers signed Xavier McKinney during free agency to fill the all important do-it-all role at the safety position in Jeff Hafley’s defense. McKinney’s ability to leave his mark on the game in a variety of ways will have to be in full effect during the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles have the ability on offense to stress opposing defenses multiple ways with their ability to move the ball on the ground and through the air. As a defense, if you try to overcommit to stopping the run, that means less help in coverage against a talented group of pass-catchers and the Eagles can hurt you through the air. If you try to limit the big passing play, that often results in more opportunities for the run game against lighter boxes.
“That’s a great question,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard when asked how you strike that balance between defending the run and the pass. “We’re trying to figure that out right now. Spending hours in front of the tape trying to figure out that answer.”
Joining Jalen Hurts in the backfield this season is Saquon Barkley, who over the last two seasons has rushed for almost 2,300 yards while with the New York Giants. When asked about Barkley–a former teammate–Xavier McKinney noted his dynamic ability with the ball and that he can do pretty much everything you would want a running back to do. Along with Barkley, Hurts would rush for 602 yards last season as well.
Then at receiver, the Eagles also have the dynamic duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The two combined for 187 receptions in 2023 and over 2,500 receiving yards. Also not to be forgotten about is tight end Dallas Goedert, who has averaged almost 600 receiving yards per year over his six NFL seasons.
In addition to all of the playmakers that the Eagles have on that side of the ball, the added wrinkle that the Packers will also have to contend with–and this goes both ways with Hafley in his first season as defensive coordinator–is that the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and therefore a new offense, with relatively little tape to study.
“Any time you go into a season and there’s a change at coordinator, you find yourself watching a lot of different film,” said Hafley. “You’re watching Eagles personnel, you’re watching the Chargers, you’re watching things that he might’ve done in the past in other places that he’s been, but then you gotta look at the staff and you see a variety of different coaches that have been there for a long time, some involved with the run game, some in the pass game, so you have a lot to look at.”
When Hafley took over as the defensive coordinator of the Packers, at his introductory press conference he highlighted what he’s looking for at the safety position. This included the ability to prevent the big play, someone who is a willing tackler in the run game, a great communicator, and the ability to make plays on the ball. At the time, free agency was still over a month away, but Hafley essentially described McKinney and what he brings to the defense.
McKinney would play only eight preseason snaps this summer, all of which came in the opener against Cleveland. So our first real glimpse of what he can do came in the Packers’ joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. With my attention fixated on the Packers’ defensive side of the ball, McKinney was seemingly all over the field.
On one play, as the lone deep safety, McKinney showcased his range, working his way over to the left sideline on a deep ball to provide Eric Stokes with help over the top. A few plays later, he was at the line of scrimmage making a “tackle” in the run game. He would then make two more “tackles” on quick throws to the flat, followed by a pass breakup on a throw over the middle on an intermediate crossing route.
In addition to the impact McKinney was able to make as the play unfolded, pre-snap he was constantly communicating with the rest of the secondary, making sure everyone was aligned correctly and knew what their responsibilities were.
“This guy can do everything. He can, and we knew this off the tape,” said Downard. “But he can play in deep zones, he can cover in man coverage, he obviously can run support in the box. I think the biggest thing ,just being around a guy like that, even as a coach you’re constantly learning, and I see him in individual drills, and just his body weight in the drills, his footwork, everything is precise, it’s exact, and then he’s able to translate that to the field, and not everybody can do that.”
When an opposing offense can hurt a defense in multiple ways, there isn’t any magic solution to stopping them, but playing a key role for the Packers in attempting to limit the Eagles will be McKinney, who can seemingly teleport around the field to wherever the ball is located.
He is going to have to help out in run support at the second level while simultaneously having to help out in coverage to prevent the big play downfield–not to mention, in general, flying around as a tackler to limit yards after contact and yards after the catch opportunities for the Eagles. Doing so begins with his vision, specifically trusting what he’s seeing, and reacting quickly.
“We’ve just got to play to our keys,” said McKinney. “We have to trust our technique, trust our preparation.”
The Packers are going to ask a lot of McKinney in this defense, but it’s because he has shown he can handle any and all responsibilities and execute on them at a high level. They’re also going to give McKinney a lot of freedom to put himself and his teammates in the best position to make plays.
Right out of the gate to open up the season, McKinney’s impact and importance to this Packers’ defense will need to be on full display.
“X, I mean, he’s the vet in the room and certainly (we) put a lot of resources into him and want to put him in position to make plays because he’s shown that ability and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” said LaFleur.