Injuries Strike Blow at Safety for Packers

Safety is one of the best and deepest positions on the Green Bay Packers’ roster. That depth will be put to the test over the next week or two.

With All-Pro Xavier McKinney out with a calf injury, Zayne Anderson moved into the starting lineup for Saturday’s preseason loss to the New York Jets. On Anderson’s fourth snap, his night ended with a knee injury when was hit hard by running back Braelon Allen.

The good news is it’s not a “long-term” injury, coach Matt LaFleur said on Sunday. But without two top players at the position, the Packers will be shorthanded at safety for practices on Monday and Tuesday in Green Bay and Thursday in suburban Indianapolis before Saturday’s preseason game at the Colts. 

That will mean more snaps for the promising second-year group of players consisting of starting safety Evan Williams, starting nickel Javon Bullard, big Kitan Oladapo and productive Omar Brown.

“I look at it as it’s time to develop the other players. That’s our job as coaches,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Sunday. “Zayne had the injury last night. Then KT [Oladapo] popped in and played a lot of snaps and he did a nice job. Certainly, we have Evan back there, and we pulled him and we pull Bull, and Omar’s a guy that’s had a good camp and we need to continue to develop him. When guys go down in the season, which hopefully they won’t, but at any position when guys go down, you have to make sure as coaches that we’re developing the next guy and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Moreover, without versatile cornerback Nate Hobbs as he recovers from knee surgery, the Packers will be stressed in the secondary.

If the Packers were playing the Lions in Week 1, one obvious way to adjust without McKinney would be to start Bullard and Williams at safety, place Hobbs in the slot and go with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine at corner.

However, without Hobbs, Bullard will have to stay in the slot, and that means diving into the depth at safety, which was dealt a blow with Anderson’s injury.

Fortunately for the Packers, this will be Week 2 of the preseason rather than Week 1 of the regular season. The upside to key players being temporarily sidelined by injuries during the preseason is it means more opportunities to build depth.

“Bull can play safety but then Hobbs isn’t around right now. So, it’s who’s playing nickel?” Hafley said. “So, we’re going to have to mix and match, but I think you’ll see Bull continue to do both, just like he did last night in certain packages. But we need to bring those young guys along. I thought [undrafted rookie Jonathan] Baldwin did some good things. We got to develop those guys.”

Injuries are how Anderson went from buried on the bench when he first arrived in Green Bay in 2023 to starting two games in 2024 and being a key backup in 2025.

“Yeah, I love what Zayne’s done, just from his journey since he’s gotten here and some of the things that we went through when he was here,” defensive backs coach Ryan Downard said. “He just is so adamant about getting things right and getting the reps that he needs. Whether he’s out there on the practice field or if we’re walking through, he’ll be the guy that if X is in or 33 [Williams] is in, he’s still back there getting the reps.

“He’s really set the example for the rest of the guys in the room that this is OK and this is expected. He’s become that example of when your time is called upon, you got to step up. He’s really the definition of preparation plus opportunity equals luck, and he was ready for his opp. He just continues to prepare that way. I’m really impressed by him as a player and his approach towards his craft.”

Against the Jets, Oladapo, a fifth-round pick last year who barely played until Week 18, had three tackles in 42 snaps on defense and two tackles on special teams.

“KT is obviously a big safety who can really run,” Downard said. “You see when he turns it on, he can really go. He’s done a good job with his communication. He’s a very smart individual, smart football player, has good instincts. This will be a good opportunity for him to get more reps, and the more the better for his development.”

Brown, who had three interceptions on Family Night and has a team-high five during training camp, also had three tackles in 42 snaps on defense and one tackle on special teams against the Jets. At this time last year, he was an undrafted rookie competing for a roster spot with the Broncos.

“He’s doing a good job,” Downard said. “Obviously, the Family Night was a great performance by him, did a great job of capitalizing on the ball-in-the-air opps. Each day, he just keeps getting better and better, and I knew that was going to be the case with him arriving when he did. All these training camp reps for him are so valuable, so just a matter of consistency and how many days can you string together where you're doing your job and plussing out on the grade sheet.”