The Green Bay Packers entered this season with serious questions on defense. The team lost key players in the offseason and suffered injuries to stars like Micah Parsons. One spot where Green Bay had few questions was safety, where continuity remains. One of the safeties who has gotten better every year is none other than Evan Williams.
Williams was a fourth-round draft pick in 2024 who earned the starting role that season and has never let it go due to the level of play he has shown since day one. It should be noted that Williams even beat out fellow 2024 draft pick Javon Bullard, who was a second-round pick with expectations to play. To his credit, Bullard has become a good defensive back in his own right, as the starting nickel cornerback. That just shows the work Williams has had to put in since being drafted, never expected to be a starter but the Packers had no choice but to put him on the field.
Evan Williams Has Improved His Play Year After Year
Evan Williams was a player that Green Bay had to get on the field, and it showed during training camp in his rookie season. That season, he appeared in 13 games and started six of them, and he earned himself a spot on the 2024 All-Rookie team. Williams played in 56 percent of the defensive snaps that season, and that number has gone up in the two seasons since then. In 2025, he played 86 percent of the snaps while starting 16 games, and through six games in 2026, he’s sitting at 100 percent.
Under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Williams is already looking like he’s taken that next step to being one of the league’s best safeties. Through six games in 2026, he’s already more than halfway to his 2025 total tackle numbers, with 52 compared to 100 last year. He also has two interceptions and big plays in key moments, including sacks and tackles for loss.
Is This Level Of Play Sustainable?
The play of Evan Williams can absolutely continue at a high level as long as the coaches put him in the best position to succeed. Previously in Jeff Hafley’s defense, Williams was more of a traditional zone safety, but under Gannon, he’s been allowed to play much more aggressively. The biggest difference for the defense under Gannon has been the blitz rate of the team. Currently, the Packers rank 11th in blitz rate, up from last year, when they blitzed about 20 percent of the time, 28th in the league.
The Packers haven’t been afraid to let Williams come off the edge this year, including his first career sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which sealed that game earlier this season. Green Bay’s defense has been much better than expected coming into this season, and Evan Williams has been a huge reason why that is. Not only is he playing great on the field, but he’s developed into a leader in the locker room as well. He says all the right things in interviews and press conferences. He also seems to have great rapport with the other defensive backs on the team.
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End Of My Evan Williams Rant
It can’t be overstated just how fantastic Williams has looked this season. If he continues to play the way he has, he may very well find himself in his first Pro Bowl, or even an All-Pro selection. He’s been a massive part of a defense that is banged up, but has been stabilized due to Williams’s play. He’s been one of the more underrated safeties over the last couple of years, but the league will have no choice but to notice him if he keeps this up.
