The Packers are going to face a gauntlet of a schedule, and be looking to break in some new faces at key places, and add new pressure on some returning veterans, at others.
But, there is one player on the roster who might hold the key to elevating new coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s defense, who enters this season flying under the radar.
Evan Williams named Packers ‘best kept secret’
Over at Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Brent Sobleksi put together a list of every team’s ‘best kept secret’ across the roster, including Packers safety Evan Williams, making the cut for Green Bay.
“With Javon Bullard primarily working the slot,” Sobleski writes for B/R. “Williams flashed as a rookie. He emerged as a full-time starter in 2025 and stuffed the stat sheet with 100 total tackles, five defended passes and four interceptions.
“Fellow safety Xavier McKinney has been a first- and second-team All-Pro over the last two seasons. Williams is more of the glue guy between the two. Still, the latter deserves greater recognition when he’s half of arguably the game’s best safety duo.”
Williams will likely see an expanded role at safety, as Sobleski points out, and if he makes strides over what he put on film last season, it could have a trickle down effect on the entire defense.
As Gannon looks for an identity and for playmakers to emerge who can capitalize on the pressure created up front by the likes of Micah Parsons, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edgerrin Cooper, and Zaire Franklin, Williams could be key to the entire defense’s and Green Bay’s overall trajectory in 2026.