GREEN BAY – Describing how he feels at the end of his second training camp compared to his rookie year at this time, Packers safety Evan Williams put it like this:
"I just have a peace that comes over me in those big situations," he said after Thursday's joint practice with the Seahawks. "We call it technique time, those two-minute situations when you've got to be on your Ps and Qs. I don't feel that same uptightness or little stress (as last year).
"I'm just poised, able to see the whole field, and just ready to do my job."
That calmness and confidence is what he summoned to make the defensive play of the day against Seattle, swooping over from centerfield to intercept Sam Darnold's deep ball intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the two-minute drill.
The heady, athletic play gave the Packers' defense some measure of revenge against Darnold and Smith-Njigba, who connected on a number of completions throughout practice when the first units were pitted against one another.
Smith-Njigba made three receptions during a third-down period and caught two TDs during red-zone 7-on-7 work, just as a sample.
Williams admitted "he's a beast, man" and likened him to Green Bay's receiver wearing No. 11, Jayden Reed, in terms of his combination of smoothness and suddenness as a route runner.
He provided a whale of a challenge that the secondary finally answered at the end of practice thanks to Williams, whom cornerback Keisean Nixon accused of stealing his interception, as he was running stride for stride with Smith-Njigba.
"I thought it was mine, so I'm kinda mad about it," Nixon said, perhaps half-jokingly. "But Evan's a hell of a player. He's been playing really good. He's taking a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2. Close it out. That's what you're supposed to do."
Williams was simply following Darnold's field of vision, and his own instincts.
"Really, I was just reading the quarterback's eyes off the rip," he said. "He kind of had a good tilt toward the boundary to my left."
The turnover continued, or concluded as it were, a strong finish to camp for Williams, who had a scoop-and-score in the joint practice with the Colts last week and intercepted Jordan Love in the end zone in seven-on-seven work earlier this week.
Those types of plays happened seemingly every day during his rookie training camp last year, and they didn't occur as readily this summer until lately. But Williams wasn't sweating it, sticking to the mantra preached by his position coach, Ryan Downard, that consistently executing the scheme and being where he's supposed to be will allow the rest to fall into place.
"I've just found out you go through stretches where you're doing your job to the best of your ability and (the ball's) just not finding you," he said. "You've got to take it as a compliment, that the ball's not finding me. That's good, I'm doing what I need to do.
"At the same time, I'm a believer that it's just keeping your nose on the grindstone, just keep pushing to do your job over and over as perfectly as you can. Sooner or later, the quarterback's going to look your way. They can't stay away forever is what I'd like to think, and yeah, when your opportunity comes you've just got to be ready."
Williams has gotten a ton of work in the back end this summer with running mate Xavier McKinney dealing with a calf injury. McKinney returned to practice for individual drills on Thursday for the first time since before Family Night, and he vows to be ready for Week 1.
Williams himself is hoping for a healthier 2025 after missing games with hamstring and quadricep injuries last season. It took him until Week 5 to crack the starting lineup and he quickly proved he belonged. Now, he wants to build on his PFWA All-Rookie selection and be as reliable and dynamic as the All-Pro next to him.
That'll require the right balance between the peaceful-under-pressure, do-your-job mentality with the aggressive, go-get-it approach when the ball's coming his way.
"The more you try to be Superman and try to do so many jobs, try to overcompensate for everything and go hunt a pick, those are the plays where bad things happen," he said. "(But) you've got to have that mentality when the ball's in the air, it's mine … understanding the ball's going to find you if you do what you're supposed to do."
