Green Bay Packers: Tramon Williams Visits & is Reportedly “Expected to Sign”
By Paul Bretl
Tavon Austin. Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison. Jared Veldheer. And now it looks like you can add Tramon Williams to the list of late-season additions made by Green Bay Packers’ GM Brian Gutekunst.
Williams spent the second half of the 2020 season with the Baltimore Ravens and was cut on Monday following their playoff loss to Buffalo. ESPN’s Field Yates first reported that Williams was in Green Bay today for a visit, while Tom Silverstein of Packers News reported that he is “expected to sign” if everything goes well.
Williams came in to Green Bay on a private jet this morning and is expected to sign if everything goes right. He will add depth and experience to the secondary and could return punts if needed. https://t.co/FxkisJ9g6A
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) January 20, 2021
Williams has had two separate stints with the Green Bay Packers. The first stint spanned eight seasons from 2007 to 2014, which included the 2010 Super Bowl run where Williams played at an incredibly high-level. More recently, he was with the Packers in 2018 and 2019 after spending the previous three years in Cleveland and Arizona.
Williams was Green Bay’s go-to slot corner last season and had a very good year. According to Pro Football Focus ($), Williams was targeted 63 times, allowing a completion rate of 63.5 percent while coming away with two interceptions, five pass breakups, and quarterbacks had a passer rating of 86.5 when throwing his direction. He also gave up two just touchdowns.
If grades are your thing, Williams’ overall coverage grade from PFF of 82.2 was the seventh-highest grade among the 135 qualified corners, and the 0.92 yards per snap that he allowed from the slot ranked 15th out of 54 slot corners.
This season, Williams went unsigned for a portion of it before joining Baltimore. In seven games, which includes the Divisional Round, Williams allowed 13 receptions on 17 targets for 9.7 yards per catch with a touchdown and a pass breakup. Once again, a majority of his snaps came from the slot.
On this year’s Green Bay Packers team, Williams isn’t going to be a full-time starter; that nickel role still belongs to Chandon Sullivan. However, he does provide some much-needed depth at a position that is lacking it. Last week against the Rams, both Josh Jackson and Ka’dar Hollman were healthy scratches.
Below, Andy Herman of Packer Report highlights how the Packers could utilize Williams and his positional flexibility moving forward:
Will Redmond has struggled in some of the dime situations as of late, would not be shocked if Tramon got those opportunities moving forward. He could play some safety in those situations with Amos playing in the box, or could play some slot & Sullivan could move back as well.
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) January 20, 2021
With the Green Bay Packers on the cusp of advancing to the Super Bowl, this is another all-in type of move from Gutey as he tries to bolster the depth of the secondary. Williams will be a tremendous locker room presence, a familiar face, and someone with knowledge of the defense who can make an impact right away.