The Green Bay Packers have a problem. Fortunately, it’s a good problem.
What is the best way to use their multitude of defensive backs?
With cornerback Jaire Alexander inactive last week at the Rams, the problem solved itself via some outside-the-box thinking. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley moved Keisean Nixon from the slot to cornerback, slid safety Javon Bullard into the slot and inserted Evan Williams at safety.
Nixon hadn’t spent the bulk of a game as a perimeter cornerback since the 2020 season with the Raiders.
Bullard, the team’s second-round pick, hadn’t played the majority of a game in the slot since 2022 at Georgia.
Williams, the team’s fourth-round pick, had played 34 snaps all season.
What could go wrong?
The answer? Not much, with the musical-chairs secondary playing a key role in a 24-19 Packers victory in which legendary Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, threw one interception and was stopped on a do-or-die final drive.
Bullard’s work near the line of scrimmage has allowed Xavier McKinney to become an interception machine at free safety. So, Hafley found it a natural fit to move Bullard to the slot.
“I think when you watch Bull, you watch how physical he is around the ball and you just want to try to find ways to get him more involved play after play,” Hafley said on Thursday. “We’re playing a team that we felt was going to try to run the football a lot, and what better way to get a good physical defender in the ‘11’ personnel grouping?
“So, rather than have a guy who’s just going to be in there for coverage reasons, you kind of get the best of both worlds. You’re almost playing with three safeties. He can do it all, though. I think he can cover. I know he’s physical in the run game. He’s a really good blitzer.”
Moving Bullard to the slot allowed the coaches to get Williams on the field. He had a superb training camp and preseason but played zero defensive snaps in Week 1, 20 in Week 2, four in Week 3 and 10 in Week 4.
Williams, who recovered an onside kick and intercepted a Hail Mary in the Week 2 win over the Colts, had a team-high 10 tackles and broke up Stafford’s fourth-down pass to clinch the game.
“He’s a very intelligent player,” Hafley said. “I think one of the biggest things he’s done to put himself in the situation that he’s in now and having a bigger role is he’s starting to learn how to study the game more and he’s starting to understand how serious you need to take it because, when those opportunities come, you have to be ready for it.
“That’s a huge moment not only to recognize the play but to stay poised. He stayed square, he was balanced, his eyes were in the right place. He had a hand on the back but he didn’t tug, He got the arm out, he got the ball out. The cool part is it wasn’t too big for him. That’s fourth-and-5 against one of the best quarterbacks in this league and he was able to get a huge stop.”
When the secondary is at full strength – which should be the case against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with the presumptive return of Alexander – it will be interesting to see how Hafley deploys his personnel.
For the long-term good of the defense, the best way to go might be Alexander at one corner, some sort of combination of Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes at the other corner, Bullard in the slot, and McKinney and Williams at safety.
But that would be a slight toward Nixon, who Hafley was eager to praise on Thursday. According to PFF’s judgment of coverage responsibilities, Nixon gave up 28 receiving yards in seven targets against the Rams. His tight coverage on Tutu Atwell forced Stafford to put too much air under a pass that was intercepted by McKinney.
“Especially at the end of the game, he was tight,” Hafley said. “I think there’s a confidence with him right now. I think Keisean needs to get more credit than he’s probably getting for all that we’ve asked him to do and all the different things he’s actually been able to have success with. I’m really proud of him.”
How the Packers will move forward could be evolving based on the growth of the rookies and upcoming matchups. It’s not X’s and O’s as much as it’s “me vs. you,” Hafley said. So, it will be about finding the right players to fill the right roles in the right moment. How they line up against the Cardinals on Sunday might have nothing to do with how they line up against the Texans next week.
“It’s our job to, if they’re playing well, to find roles for them and make sure that they’re on the field,” Hafley said. “But what unit gives us the best chance to win that particular game?
“I think it’s very nice to have options and I think the more guys are healthier, the more competition we’ll have, the better we’ll get, the better they’ll get and we’ll play better defense as we continue to go. But having those guys on the field and having that versatility, where they can switch around positions, I think it’s huge.”
