Packer Central

ESPN’s Riddick Said What About Packers’ New Safeties?

ESPN’s Louis Riddick heaped praise on the Packers’ new safety tandem of veteran Xavier McKinney and rookie Javon Bullard.

Jacob Westendorf

ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick
ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

 

If there were ever a position that needed to be upgraded going into the offseason for the Green Bay Packers, it was safety.

Once a stable position with a potential emerging star in Darnell Savage and the ever-reliable Adrian Amos patrolling the backend, the Packers felt they had that position set for years to come.

Age, injuries and inconsistent play proved to put that idea to bed shortly after the 2021 regular season.

Savage never found the form that he showed in 2020, when it looked like he was going to take flight as one of the league’s top safeties. Amos simply succumbed to Father Time, as most players do, and was allowed to leave via free agency after the 2022 season.

Savage stuck around for one more year. He had zero interceptions and one pass breakup during the regular season. While he had a pick-six in the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, he dropped what should have been another the following week against the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the spot next to Savage was a revolving door.

This offseason, Gutekunst went to work on fixing the spine of his defense.

Gutekunst did what he usually does, using free-agency money and draft capital to acquire players that fit his defense. In fact, he promised as much before the offseason started.

“I think the back end is probably where we weren’t as consistent as we needed to be and I’d like that to be shored up,” Gutekunst said. “There will probably some moving pieces there going into next year.”

New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley talked about the need for adding some significant help to that room, as well, in his initial press conference.

“I want a guy who can erase things,” he said. “We’ve got to eliminate explosive plays when we play this defense, so if a run hits up the middle, this guy’s got to come out of the middle field with his hair on fire (and) he’s got to be able to get a guy down. I also want him to be a guy, when a ball-carrier is wrapped up, he goes and he finishes off the pile.”

Hafley’s words felt like a message to Gutekunst. Gutekunst’s first move was giving an eye-popping four-year, $67 million contract to former New York Giants standout Xavier McKinney. A playmaker and excellent tackler, his play style is exactly what Hafley was looking for.

Gutekunst wasn’t done, as he used a second-round draft pick to select Georgia safety Javon Bullard.

That tandem is one Gutekunst is expecting will give Hafley some stability at an important position in his defense.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick agrees. The former NFL executive said McKinney and Bullard “will be in (the) discussion for (the) best tandem” in the league by the end of the season.

Last season, cornerback Rasul Douglas tied for second on the team with one interception; he didn’t play a game for the team after Halloween. The primary starting safeties, Savage and Jonathan Owens, had zero. Safety Rudy Ford was the team leader with two but he’s no longer on the roster.

McKinney (three) and Bullard (two) combined for five interceptions. The entire Packers defense had seven.

Playmaking is going to be paramount as the Packers reshape this defense.

McKinney ranked 10th among safeties in ESPN.com’s polling of NFL coaches, scouts and executives.

“Versatile safety that provides scheme flexibility because of his physical attributes and athletic profile,” one executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Bullard should be in position to make plays because of his versatility, as well.

Coach Matt LaFleur echoed those sentiments after he was picked.

“We feel like Bullard can play nickel or safety,” he said. “We feel like (fourth-round pick Evan) Williams has that flexibility, and (fifth-round pick Kitan) Oladapo is probably more of a true safety but he can play the, whatever you want to coin it, big nickel, will backer. So, those guys are all movable pieces. The thing that we liked about all of them is they have a very, very aggressive play style.”

That aggressive play style should be coming to Green Bay’s defense this offseason, and respected analysts like Riddick – who also hailed the selection of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper – are taking notice.

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Jacob Westendorf
JACOB WESTENDORF

Jacob Westendorf, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2015, is a writer for Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: jacobwestendorf24@gmail.com History: Westendorf started writing for Packer Central in 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/JacobWestendorf Background: Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.