Tag: Evan Williams

Green Bay Packers rookie safety Evan Williams injured his hamstring against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was ruled out for the rest of the game coming of half time.

Williams, a standout rookie for Jeff Hafley’s Packers defense, was replaced by rookie Javon Bullard.

Williams made two tackles before exiting the game. The rookie fourth-round pick of Oregon played every snap of the Packers’ win over the Houston Texans last week and was tracking towards another full-time role on Sunday in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars took advantage of Bullard on their go-ahead touchdown drive in the third quarter, with Christian Kirk beating Bullard for a 26-yard completion and Brian Thomas Jr. beating him for a 14-yard touchdown catch.

Williams produced an interception and forced fumble during the first seven weeks of the 2024 season.

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams had plenty to celebrate on his 23rd birthday on Sunday. The rookie out of Oregon gifted himself an interception off of Sean Clifford, marking his third pick in the first week of his first NFL training camp.

After practice, Williams said he considers himself a playmaker but recognizes that there are times when opportunities for interceptions aren’t as frequent. That’s why he’s trying to make the most of them.

So far, the Packers safety group has had a tremendous start to camp, with Williams and fellow rookie Javon Bullard playing significant parts. Both have caused turnovers while lining up with the starting defense, showing the coaching staff that the moment isn’t too big for them.

Prior to Sunday’s practice, head coach Matt LaFleur touched on the performances of both Williams and Bullard.

“I’m really excited about both those guys,” said LaFleur. “Certainly, they have a skill set, but the mental ability of both of these guys to be able to retain what they’ve learned throughout the course of OTAs and come back and continue to build on it day by day. I think it’s been super impressive. They are versatile enough. We can interchange the safeties so you can’t get a beat on who is going to be where. It’s such a competitive situation.”

Out of the Packers’ 11 newly added draft picks, you can make the case that Williams has made the most noise out of all of them based on production. No one on the defense has forced more turnovers than Williams, which are often a deciding factor for wins during the regular season.

Williams’ ball skills weren’t what he was known for coming out, but they have certainly been a pleasant surprise. He logged four interceptions during his college career but had none in his final year with the Ducks. However, he did make a positive impact in other ways while lining up all over the field.

Green Bay plans to use their safeties interchangeably this season, meaning Williams may be asked to play deep, in the slot, or in the box on any given play. That can be a lot to put on a rookie’s plate, but Williams remarked that he has enjoyed trying to learn a new defensive scheme while trying to pick up on any tendencies from the offense.

It’s a positive sign that Williams hasn’t been overwhelmed, as he’s constantly been around the ball.

“I feel like I’m progressing every day, truthfully,” said Williams. “Every day, I’m just trying to learn a little bit more about how our coordinator thinks and what type of calls he’s going to be making in certain situations.”

If Williams continues at his current rate of becoming more engrossed in the scheme and translating it to making plays on the field, he could be a significant contributor to the Packers’ defense in 2024.

The Green Bay Packers have officially signed fourth-round pick Evan Williams. Over the Cap now has the details on what Williams’ rookie deal will look like.

Williams earned a standard four-year rookie contract that totals $4.822 million with a signing bonus of $802,880.

Williams will receive the full signing bonus up front, but from a salary cap perspective, that $802,880 can be pro-rated over the life of the contract. Or, in short, the cap hit in 2024 from that bonus is just $200,720.

That pro-rated signing bonus amount plus a base salary of $795,000 makes up Williams’ cap hit for this season, which totals $995,720.

Moving forward, beyond 2024, a $200,720 cap hit from the pro-rated signing bonus will be on the Packers’ books all four years of the contract, along with Williams’ base salary increasing each year as well.

In 2025, Williams’ base salary will be $960,000. In 2026 it increases to $1.075 million, and then $1.190 million in 2027.

Here is a look at what Williams’ cap hit will be each season:

2024: $995,720
2025: $1.160 million
2026: $1.275 million
2027: $1.390 million

Like Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard, Williams brings added versatility to the Packers secondary, filling that ‘interchangeable’ mold at the safety position that GM Brian Gutekunst was looking for. While most of Williams’ snaps in college came as a free safety or in the box, the Packers project that he can also play out of the slot, based on his movement skills.

Williams did a little bit of everything during his time at either Fresno State or Oregon. He was a sound tackler, a willing run defender, he found success these past two seasons as a blitzer, and always seemed to be around the football.

“He’s a downhill, come-and-get-it kind of guy,” added Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan. “He plays quick. He plays fast. But really, I think the thing that jumped out to us was every game you watch, he’s got an aggressive play style. He comes downhill and puts his face on you and we thought that would bode well within this defense with what we already have out there.”