GREEN BAY – During his introductory news conference in February, Jeff Hafley was asked what he desires from a post safety responsible for covering centerfield in his defense.
The new Packers’ defensive coordinator offered the type of response you’d expect from a coach whose background is strongly rooted in the secondary.
“I want a guy who can erase things,” said Hafley on Feb. 22. “If a run hits up the middle, this guy’s gotta come out of the middle field with his hair on fire; he’s gotta be able to get a guy down.
“I also want him to be a guy, when a ball carrier is wrapped up, he goes, and he finishes off the pile. I want a guy who can go from sideline to sideline and take the ball away.”
Twenty-one days later, the Packers signed Xavier McKinney to be that guy.
The 24-year-old safety was widely regarded as the top free agent at his position following a promising four-year run with the New York Giants in which McKinney tallied 277 tackles (179 solo), 27 passes defensed, nine interceptions (one for a touchdown), and two forced fumbles in 49 regular-season games with 46 starts.
McKinney’s production and upside had the Packers questioning whether the 6-foot, 201-pound safety would even make it to the open market. Green Bay still did its research given a clear need at the position after a challenging 2023 campaign in which Week 1 starters Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford missed a combined 11 regular-season games.
When the Giants opted not to place the franchise tag on McKinney last month, Green Bay General Manager Brian Gutekunst was primed to pounce on the fifth-year veteran.
“I just think he’s a unique player to come available,” said Gutekunst at last week’s NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando. “One of the top safeties in the game, a guy who can be a game-changing type player. He really fits a little bit of the criteria we’re looking for in a free agent – not only as a player but as a leader back there.
“Obviously, extensively scouted him through college and liked him quite a bit coming out. He’s done nothing in his time in the NFL to change that.”
McKinney figures to be a centerpiece of Hafley’s defense, which operates out of a 4-3 base alignment and favors a single-high post safety patrolling the back end. During the lead up to the 2020 NFL Draft, many pundits felt McKinney fit well into a Cover-1 scheme due to his speed, ranginess, and high…
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