Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst perhaps solved the team’s problems at safety by signing Xavier McKinney and drafting Javon Bullard, Evan Williams and Kitan Oladapo.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – If Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst were a blackjack player, you know what he’d do with an 11?Gutekunst turned to his tried-and-true method of fixing problem positions. With a black hole at safety, he signed Xavier McKinney in free agency and doubled down in the draft by adding three more players.
The ball production will be huge for a defense that finished next-to-last in the NFL with seven interceptions last year. Those are the headline numbers, but McKinney’s ability as a tackler will be invaluable in preventing 8-yard runs from turning into 20-yard gains or 20-yard catches from turning into touchdowns. McKinney had 116 tackles and missed seven, according to PFF. Owens had 74 tackles and missed seven. Savage had 50 tackles and missed 12. Johnson had 23 tackles and missed nine.
With Johnson, Williams and Oladapo, the Packers have three potentially strong options. Johnson spent most of his career at Iowa State playing cornerback. Williams played a lot in the slot. Oladapo has some combo safety-linebacker traits. So, the versatility is present if Hafley wants to build some creative packages or if he needs to shuffle his assets.The Packers have high hopes for Bullard, for obvious reasons. He’s fast. He hits. He makes plays. He’s versatile. He’s come through in big games..
The Packers need Bullard to start at safety for the good of the defense. However good he is in Week 1, they need him to be exponentially better in Week 18 and beyond. They also might need him to play in the slot should something happen to Keisean Nixon in terms of injury or performance. “He can run, he can cover, he can play deep, he can play in the slot, he can blitz,” Hafley said. ‘He’s bigger when you see him. He’s thick strong. The best part about it, and I kind of said the same thing about X, is you don’t really know what you’re getting until you get into the meeting room with them. He’s a sharp guy.”Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.
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