Green Bay Packers: What Tramon Williams brings back to secondary

The Green Bay Packers brought back defensive back Tramon Williams with the hopes that he can boost the secondary. What does he bring to the defense?

From 2007 all the way through the 2014 season, Tramon Williams appeared in 127 regular season games for the Green Bay Packers. That’s out of a possible 128. During those years, Williams had some fantastic seasons with the Packers. Between 2010-11, the cornerback combined for 42 pass deflections and 10 interceptions in 31 games, for example.

However, in 2015, Williams went to the Cleveland Browns. There, he spent two forgettable seasons on a very forgettable team. Playing in 27 games, he amassed 15 pass deflections and two interceptions. Meanwhile, he didn’t seem to be as sure of a tackler, and weaker in coverage.

Last season, Williams saw some of his confidence return in the coverage game with the Arizona Cardinals. In 13 games, he recorded 12 pass deflections and two interceptions, as well as 41 tackles. Now he’s returning to Green Bay on a two-year deal. So now the question is, what does the 35-year old defensive back bring to the Packers today?

The short answer is veteran leadership and knowledge. At this point in his career, Williams probably shouldn’t be lining up against the elite receivers for a bulk of the game. His experience should allow him to occasionally cover top targets with success, but don’t expect him to hang for four quarters.

This isn’t a knock on Williams either. In his prime he was a fantastic cornerback. At a certain point though, you can’t expect a 12-year veteran to follow around the likes of someone like Antonio Brown for a full contest.

Williams brings leadership and experience to a position that desperately needs it though. (Seriously, Quinten Rollins leads Green Bay cornerbacks in games played with 33). He can help to mold the young defensive backs and show them how to play the game right.

Meanwhile, he can make a few more plays for himself. No, Williams isn’t the same cornerback he was during his first stint with the Packers, but there’s still value in his game. His coverage skills still have some juice left in them, and while his tackling isn’t as solid as it was a few years ago, he’s not terrible at it for his position.

Next: NFL Free Agency 2018: Biggest steal for each team

Adding Tramon Williams is a nice start to a big problem for the Packers. Adding more veteran secondary help through free agency is needed, while adding more prospects at the position through the draft is expected. In the meantime, just be happy a veteran leader is back on the Pack.