Green Bay Packers: Loss of Tramon Williams hurts

When the Green Bay Packers lost cornerback Davon House to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, retaining longtime starter Tramon Williams became more critical. While Green Bay stayed involved with negotiations, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday that Williams had signed a 3 year, $21 million contract with the Cleveland Browns.

The deal was signed on Williams’ 32nd birthday, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Green Bay Packers were hesitant in their bidding. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com noted that Ted Thompson and the Packers were most comfortable with a two year contract in the range of $4-5 million. Green Bay has shown a tendency to jump ship on aging members of their secondary in the past, parting ways with veterans Al Harris and Charles Woodson.

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In Davon House, the Packers forfeited the opportunity to see his potential unfold, but a 4 year, $24.5 million contract with $10 million guaranteed was understandably too rich for a player that was on the field for just over a third of their defensive snaps in 2014. The absence of Williams will have a much greater impact, as he appeared in 140 of 141 games with the Packers in his career, his final play putting him inches away from Jermaine Kearse‘s game-winning touchdown in the NFC Championship Game.

Green Bay’s front office is among the league’s least aggressive in free agency, and a knee-jerk reaction to replace the two departed corners is both unlikely and unwise. I would not be surprised if Ted Thompson waits until the NFL Draft in April to address the position in some capacity, but the team’s plan of action relies heavily on Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde.

Hayward, who has flashed exciting potential when healthy over three seasons, played primarily in the dime package this past season. This put him on the field for the minority of snaps, but with a promising skill set and similar physical makeup to Williams, the Packers could hope to shift him outside into a permanent starting role across from Sam Shields. If this is the case, his movement creates a need at the third cornerback position.

Oct 19, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward (29) celebrates following an interception during the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 38-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Hyde, who is filling a poor man’s version of Charles Woodson‘s role with the Packers, quite well I might add, will be critical to this. Hyde played frequently as Green Bay’s nickel corner while also being moved around as the third safety, so his ability to cover receivers on the inside will help to bring clarity to this position. Past Hyde, the Packers have the unproven Demetri Goodson, a 6th round rookie in 2014, and the possibility of Jarrett Bush returning via free agency.

This will likely become an question of what level the Packers address the position at. If the club sees Casey Hayward as a dominant slot corner or not physical enough to start on the outside, Green Bay may need to address the position early in search of an outside starter. If the team thinks Hayward and Hyde can handle the 2nd and 3rd roles on the depth chart, the burden is lessened and the position must only be addressed in the mid rounds for depth purposes.

As a team featuring an offense led by Aaron Rodgers, there will be points scored. A high-scoring offense leads to high-scoring games and opponents trying to match the Packers pass for pass, so a strong secondary is a necessity entering 2015. Tramon Williams was quietly a great cornerback during his time in Green Bay and it will be difficult for any player, whether internally or otherwise, to replace his role in this defense.

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