Getty Kevin King #20 of the Green Bay Packers anticipates a play during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The return of veteran cornerback Tramon Williams might have just become more important to the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers added starting cornerback Kevin King to Friday’s final injury report with a back injury, putting his availability in question for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He did not practice in the team’s final session of the week.
“We’ll give him through the week and see where he’s at,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Friday. “Hopefully he’ll be good to go on Sunday.”
The Packers only had one other player with an injury designation for Sunday’s game with defensive tackle Kingsley Keke still sidelined with a concussion. He was held out of Friday’s final practice after getting limited work in the first two sessions of the week and will now miss his third straight game after playing in each of their first 15 games, starting in nine.
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Tramon Williams’ Elevation Becomes More Likely
The Packers adding King to the injury report gives them all the more reason to elevate the newly-added Williams from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. Even if King is able to play, there are obvious benefits to having a seasoned veteran on hand who is versed in their brand of defense.
Williams was an effective and versatile piece in Mike Pettine’s system over the past two seasons, particularly as both a slot defender and outside cornerback during last year’s run to the NFC championship game. He finished the 2019 season among the top 25 highest-graded corners (75.1) in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, with the 13th-fewest first-down catches allowed (20).
Williams could also potentially be used as a rotational safety or dime linebacker depending on the matchup or the needs, freeing up some of the younger pieces like Darnell Savage or Chandon Sullivan to move around the field. The challenge will be seeing if, a full year later and less than three months away from turning 38, Williams can still make a difference on the field.
Based on how he played for the Baltimore Ravens over the past few months, it is difficult to say. The Ravens signed Williams in November to reinforce their injury-plagued active roster and got him some significant action in a stretch of three games, but his numbers didn’t exactly turn heads. According to PFF, Williams gave up receptions 12 of the 16 times he was targetted in the passing game along with a touchdown and received a relatively-low overall positional grade (53.5).
None of that seemed to both quarterback Aaron Rodgers after seeing him back on the practice field.
“He’s one of those teammates you just love playing with over the years,” Rodgers told reporters Friday. “He’s such a professional. The way he takes care of himself, he looks amazing. He looks like he could go out and play 70 plays for us. I’m not sure if he’s going to or not, I hope he does, because he’s still so talented.”
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