Safeties Leading Packers’ Pick Parade

The Green Bay Packers were next-to-last in interceptions last season. Could that change this season? Through six days of training camp, the Packers’ new safeties have made one play after another.

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – First, a disclaimer: The following comparison is akin to comparing deep-fried cheese curds to a foam cheese hat.

Nonetheless, perhaps the biggest key for the Green Bay Packers in 2024 will be forcing more turnovers. Last season, only one team had fewer interceptions than Green Bay’s seven. This training camp, the Packers’ new group of safeties has five interceptions.

Seemingly everything done this offseason was meant to create more takeaways. After the season, coach Matt LaFleur fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry and replaced him with Jeff Hafley.

Then, it was general manager Brian Gutekunst’s turn. His first order of business was nuking the safety corps. Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford weren’t retained in free agency. Instead, Gutekunst signed veteran safety Xaver McKinney in free agency and added Javon Bullard, Evan Williams and Kitan Oladapo in the draft.

Here’s another incongruent comparison: Last year, Savage and Owens – the starting safeties for the stretch run and playoffs – combined for zero interceptions and four passes defensed in a combined 21 regular-season starts. Through six practices, Williams has three interceptions and McKinney and Bullard have one apiece.

LaFleur wasn’t going to take any victory laps after the first week of training camp included four practices led by backup quarterback Sean Clifford, who served up more turnovers than a bakery.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” LaFleur said before Sunday’s practice. “We’re five practices into this thing. I think once we transition to these preseason games and, certainly, when we get into the regular season, it’s going to give us a much better indication.”

True, but at least the early indication is promising.

“We’ve got a lot of playmakers on this team,” McKinney said.

Including, potentially, the safeties. McKinney was a playmaker with the Giants. During his two healthy seasons in New York, he nabbed eight interceptions. Meanwhile, the rookies have shown immense promise. Bullard is fast to the football and physical, and the ball just seems to find Williams.

“Credit to Gutey and his group,” Hafley said on Monday. “They’re very smart, very competitive, very instinctual. And just the way they’ve worked. They’re in here late at night, they have extra meetings. They’ve done a good job of showing us that they understand the scheme and they have the ability to make plays. It’s a fun group to work with. There’s competition that will be on going and I’m glad we have those two right now.”

Overall, the Packers have 12 interceptions. Seven are by the safeties (three by Williams and one each by Bullard, McKinney, Anthony Johnson and Benny Sapp) four are by cornerbacks (two by Eric Stokes, one by Carrington Valentine, one by Kalen King) and one is by a linebacker (Quay Walker).

“Smart. We got a smart group, man,” McKinney said. “We got a smart room. We have smart corners, we have smart safeties and we got playmakers that can do it instinctually. We’ve got guys who just know where to be and what to do. …

“Obviously with the D-line we got, it makes our job a hell of a lot easier because the ball’s having to come out super-fast so we’re not having to cover for too long. It’s just been good working with all these guys, man. It’s been fun. Everybody has been enjoying it. We continue to keep improving.”

Through an aggressive front and sticky coverage, Hafley’s scheme is designed to create takeaway opportunities.

Said Williams: “Our DC would definitely say it’s rush and coverage working together. That’s his motto.”

Indeed, when asked if the safety positions are designed to be playmakers in his scheme, Hafley quickly focused on the pass rush.

“You can look at the guys having the interceptions right now, but I think it all starts up front with the rush,” Hafley said.

True, but, as a coach, you tend to get what you emphasize.

“I show turnovers to start every single meeting because it is the most important thing,” Hafley said. “And I show them in front of the whole defense, and it’s not just rewarding the guy who intercepted the ball. It’s, ‘Why was the ball was intercepted?’ You turn on the tight copy and it’s because the three-technique got push and he got his hand up and the quarterback had to change his arm angle or the quarterback had to step up in the pocket and had to throw off-balance.

“Those are the things that tie in, and I think everybody needs to understand that.”

With McKinney, the Packers have a do-it-all safety. He is a playmaker, tackler and leader.

What is Hafley looking for in his counterpart?

“The guy that’s going to give us the best chance to win,” he replied.

While the Packers used a second-round pick on Bullard, his competition against Williams and Johnson is real. Through the six practices, Bullard has been the primary safety alongside McKinney in three, Johnson got the nod in two and Williams in one. Oladapo hasn’t gotten on the practice field yet due to a broken toe sustained at the Scouting Combine.

“I’m really excited about both those guys,” LaFleur said of Bullard and Williams. “It all starts [with] they have a skill-set, but the mental ability of both these guys to be able to retain what they learned throughout the course of OTAs, come back and continue to build on that day by day, I think has been super-impressive.

“They’re versatile enough that we can interchange the safeties, so you can’t get a bead on who’s going to be where. I think that’s an important part of it. It’s such a competitive situation in terms of we’ve got a few guys who are challenging each other right now to roll opposite of X.” 

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