GREEN BAY – Perhaps nobody in the National Football League knows Evan Williams better than Matt LaFleur.
The Packers' head coach has been running his scheme against the 24-year-old safety in practice for nearly two years and yet trying to glean any information off Williams' pre-snap tendencies often remains a mystery in the film room.
"Sometimes I can't tell when I'm watching the tape," said LaFleur on Monday. "Was that quarters? Was that like a three-hook coverage?"
LaFleur ain't the only one.
A member of the PFWA's All-Rookie team in 2024, Williams has taken his game – and deception – to the next level in Year 2 on his way to becoming one of the top playmakers on Green Bay's defense.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound safety not only leads the Packers with three interceptions this season but also has been impactful against the run. He racked up nine tackles in last Thursday's 31-24 win against Detroit, including four run stops in which the Lions netted between one and minus-5 yards.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 68 yards on 20 rushing attempts, four days after needing just 15 carries to run for 219 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Giants.
"I take a lot of pride in that," said Williams of his physicality in the run game. "I feel like the casual fan kind of looks over those type of plays, but when you look back at it, that's a good 60-70% of the game are those run plays that a lot of people look over. I want to be the complete player that I think I can be, it definitely starts with being stout in the run game."
The secret to Williams' success has been defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's principles of disguise and not allowing the offense to count him in the run fit until the very last minute. At the same time, Williams' antenna is always up to glean any information he can from the opposition.
There's a saying amongst the Packers' defensive backs, "See a little, see a lot," and Williams plays to that standard through film study, reading his keys and reacting to the visual cues the offensive line, tight ends and backfield are providing.
The rest is up to Williams to arrive with speed and "a little bit of violence" to knock back a receiver or tight end off a crack block, or cause them to miss him entirely like he did on his tackle of Gibbs for no gain on third-and-3 in the fourth quarter of the Thanksgiving win over the Lions.
It's no accident. LaFleur even remarked to one of the Packers' coaches after the team's extra practice on Monday how Williams is always putting in extra time working his technique on the heavy bag after practice ends.
"He's always been a pretty aware player," LaFleur said. "He's got great instincts but now just his knowledge of what we're trying to get accomplished and then his ability to disguise and hold things and then on the snap, trigger. … The physicality that he's brought to our defense has been pretty impressive."
There has been a night-and-day difference in terms of the production the Packers have received from the safety position during Hafley's two seasons as defensive coordinator.
Green Bay started the overhaul with the marquee signing of Xavier McKinney, who was voted first-team All-Pro last year after intercepting a team-high eight passes. The Packers also drafted Georgia's Javon Bullard in the second round before taking Williams on Day 3.
With Bullard growing into Green Bay's starting nickelback, McKinney and Williams have worked in unison on the backend to aid a Packers pass defense allowing the fourth-fewest yards per play (5.67) in the NFL this season.
"He's a special player, man," said McKinney of Williams. "He's done a hell of a job for this defense, for this team, and you just continue to see his growth, within every game, within every practice, and you know that's good for all of us."
The Packers' run defense is in for a massive test this Sunday at Lambeau Field against Chicago's one-two punch of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monganai, who each rushed for more than 100 yards in the Bears' 24-15 win over the Eagles.
"I feel like our team knows that we control our destiny at this point," Williams said. "There's a lot that's to be said about the Bears and how they're doing right now. They've put together a hell of a season.
"But at the end of the day, I feel like we all understand if we go out there, put our best foot forward and play our best ball that we don't feel there's a team that can hang with us."
