The Green Bay Packers’ safety room in 2023 had Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Anthony Johnson Jr., Rudy Ford, Zayne Anderson, and Benny Sapp III. That was simply not good enough. So last offseason, general manager Brian Gutekunst proactively looked for a rebuild of the unit, moving on from everyone except special teamer Zayne Anderson. The team gave Xavier McKinney a four-year, $67 million contract, plus drafting Javon Bullard in the second round, Evan Williams in the fourth, and Kitan Oladapo in the fifth.

The results couldn’t have been much better. McKinney was a First-Team All-Pro, Williams was an All-Rookie Team, and Bullard was a valuable and versatile starter.

This is the second to last part of our Packers positional breakdown series, and it’s time to talk about safeties.

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Continuity to improve even more

After so many changes in 2024, there was no need to spend more resources on the position. But continuity is also a factor, and that’s what the Packers are banking on to have an even better impact from the group in 2025.

McKinney is coming from an insanely productive season, and he’s under contract for three more seasons. Williams wants to avoid a second-year slump.

With Javon Bullard, the situation is a little murkier. He started his rookie season as a deep safety, but later moved to the slot. Based on how things are shaking out now, it seems like he will be a backup on both spots to begin his second year, but versatility is part of his appeal. On the other hand, Bullard has to improve in pass coverage to return to the starting lineup.

The part of the defensive coaching staff that takes care of the safety room hasn’t changed either. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley, and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard remain on the staff, which means Matt LaFleur is happy with the results—and also that the development plan will keep moving.

Depth pieces

The Packers usually keep five safeties on the 53-man roster. Therefore, there are two available spots after McKinney, Williams, and Bullard. Unless something unexpected happens in training camp or preseason, those go to Kitan Oladapo and Zayne Anderson.

Oladapo didn’t play much, but he had relatively strong performances when on the field—especially in the games against the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears, where he had more volume of snaps. Anderson also played well on defense, even though his biggest value is on special teams.

Another option fighting more for practice squad spots is Omar Brown, who spent time on the PS last year. Versatile defensive back Kahzir Brown was cut earlier this week.

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