Paul Bretl | 7/2/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers’ safety Evan Williams was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team in 2024. So, now in Year 2 of his NFL career, what’s next for Williams?
“He’s got to continue to learn his body, and because I know we had, there were some injuries last year, just to make sure that he’s available,” said Matt LaFleur during minicamp. “But I think just building on what he’s already done and being consistent with it again. Another guy that loves the game. He’s extremely intelligent. He comes in with the right mentality. And he just works.”
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Williams played a small role early on in his rookie season, seeing just 34 total snaps over the first four games. But following some reshuffling in the secondary, which included moving Javon Bullard to the nickel, Williams started at safety in Week 5 next to Xavier McKinney and held on to that role until a quad injury in Week 16 sidelined him until Green Bay’s playoff game with Philadelphia.
Williams finished the season making 46 of his 54 tackle attempts. He allowed a completion rate of only 57.7% in coverage at 11.2 yards per catch with one interception and three pass breakups. Out of 103 eligible safeties, Williams ranked ninth in completion rate, and he tied for sixth in run-stop rate as well, according to PFF.
“I’d honestly give it to my surroundings more than anything,” Williams said of his play last season. “Coaching staff for just laying out a plan and making it simple for us, allowing us to go out there and play fast; use our instincts. Instincts are something I definitely hang my hat on as a player.
“I give props to the coaching staff and also just the experience in our room. ‘X’ helped me a lot last year as far as picking up the playbook and how to handle yourself as a pro, how to watch film. Just those little things that can give you an edge on any given Sunday. I’ll point to my surroundings at first.”
As the season progressed and Williams got more practice and in-game reps under his belt, his confidence grew. This not only resulted in Williams making more plays, but it also expanded how Jeff Hafley utilized him within the defense by putting more responsibilities on his plate.
“If I had to give myself any credit,” Williams added, “I’d just say I kind of hang my hat on being able to pick things up and not make the same mistake twice. Whenever I’m on the field, I want a coach to have the utmost trust I’m gonna execute and just be where I need to be to make those type of plays. That was something I came into training camp knowing to go as hard as I can and just be a student, just be a sponge, soak up as much information as I could and I think that led to some good things my first year.”
That experience gained in Year 1 is often a catalyst behind that Year 2 leap that we often see so many successful NFL players make. For one, rather than going through the pre-draft process, players have the ability to hone in on their craft and specific areas they want to improve upon.
But in addition to that, there is the familiarity that comes with being in the same system for another year. As defensive backs coach Ryan Downard described during OTAs, a lot of that growth can come from the continuity of being in the same defensive system for a second year, because with that, not only comes a greater understanding of what his roles and responsibilities are, but also those around him, and how offenses are trying to attack Green Bay’s defense.
“It’s been pretty big for me,” Williams said of the experience he’s gained over the last year. “I feel like I’m a guy that learns through experience, learns through being in the fire more than just sitting back and watching. I feel like each rep, each step I’m taking this year, I’m just gaining confidence, gaining experience.
“Honestly I’m just looking to take that step being a confident football player out there and hopefully I’ll have the defense just playbook in my back pocket so I can take that next step and think about other things; think about ok what is the offense trying to do here? What is this formation telling me? I feel like I could take steps in that department and taking it a step further and becoming a more proactive player rather than just being reactive.”
Even though Williams made the All-Rookie team in 2024, playing time is not guaranteed in Year 2. With ample versatility throughout the secondary, the Packers aren’t short on options when it comes to utilizing different personnel groupings.
Through the small sample size that is OTAs and minicamp, we saw a lot of mixing and matching in the secondary. This included Bullard being in the slot with McKinney and Williams as the deep safeties, which is what we often saw last year. But there were also instances where Nate Hobbs lined up in the nickel and Bullard took over at safety next to McKinney.
That versatility element can be a superpower for the Green Bay secondary and affords Hafley flexibility as he can really customize game plans to what the opponent does and adjust on the fly quite quickly based on what the in-game situation dictates. Bullard and Williams will both be a part of the defensive equation for the Packers this season, but exactly how they factor in may still have to be determined.
“High,” said Williams about the competition in the safety room. “I’ll say that much. But you know, that’s what you’ve got to love, especially as a competitor. You see all these guys taking strides. KT, you said it, KT’s going into his second year, everybody’s just getting more comfortable with the system, and everybody’s doing their utmost to show the coaches, ‘OK, I belong here, you can trust me in these scenarios.’ And I feel like as a whole, that really just boosts all of our confidence and just boosts all of our competitive juices.”