Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams is building a case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. If he wins it, he would be the first safety to take home the award since Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu in 2010. Green Bay already has arguably the best safety group in the NFL, with Williams, Xavier McKinney, and Javon Bullard in the slot. In 2026, though, Williams has separated himself as the most important piece of the defense so far.

He has delivered production in every phase, and he has done it in a role few safeties are asked to play. After nine weeks, his candidacy deserves serious attention. Especially after winning the NFC Defensive Player of October award.

Numbers that cover every area

Per PFF, Williams ranks first among safeties in both defensive grade and coverage grade. He is also third in defensive grade across the entire NFL, regardless of position.

The production backs up the grades. Among safeties, Williams ranks second in tackles (53), second in pressures (13), third in passer rating allowed when targeted (43.3), third in interceptions (3), and sixth in pass breakups (three).

Those numbers show a player who can do it all. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has used Williams heavily in coverage, but he has also sent him as a blitzer to generate pressure. On top of that, Williams is a sure tackler and excels in run fits and run support.

Much of that was already part of his game last season under Jeff Hafley. In 2026, however, his impact has grown, especially as a pass rusher. Gannon has leaned on him in blitz packages, and his ability to drop back and play the ball in coverage has made those calls far more dangerous for opposing offenses. Ultimately, the defense is unpredictable in large part because of how versatile Williams is.

A defense built around one player

Several defensive players around the league have strong cases for the award. Edge defender Will Anderson has been dominant for the Houston Texans. Linebacker Blake Cashman remains underrated given his impact on the Minnesota Vikings, and Fred Warner continues to be an elite off-ball player for the San Francisco 49ers.

What separates Williams is something that doesn’t apply to everyone in the conversation: the Packers’ defense is essentially built around him.

Green Bay didn’t have Micah Parsons to start the season. As a consequence, the defense developed an identity around varying its schemes to manufacture pressure. The Packers also lean on disguises in the secondary, changing the picture for quarterbacks after the snap.

Williams sits at the center of both ideas. His versatility allows Gannon to move him across the formation, threaten the quarterback from different spots, and still trust him to handle his coverage responsibilities on the back end. Without a player who can do all of that, much of Green Bay’s defensive plan would not work.

Breaking a long-standing pattern

The Defensive Player of the Year award has mostly gone to edge rushers in recent seasons. When a defensive back wins it, it’s generally a cornerback (Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Surtain II more recently). Safeties have been left out for 16 years.

That’s why few people expected Williams to enter this discussion before the season. Even within his own position group, McKinney carried a bigger national profile.

Williams has changed that perception. If he keeps playing with this level of versatility and effectiveness, he should compete for a Pro Bowl spot and an All-Pro selection. A Defensive Player of the Year campaign is also realistic.

His impact on games goes far beyond what a safety typically provides. For a Green Bay defense that relies on flexibility to create pressure and confusion, Williams has become the piece that makes everything else function.