Even if GB picks a corner at 14, Williams might start the first several games of the season before the anticipated “prized rookie” is ready to take over.
Or maybe the rookie is so “Lattimorean” that he starts game one.
(And yes, I just made up a new word.)

I expect to see Williams on the field quite a bit this season. For starters he's the only Packers CB who's PLAYED in Pettines system. After Williams who in the Packers CB room has any experience under their belts?

Kevin King has played in what, 10 games before he was shut-down last year? The Packers don't really know what they have in Quinton Rollins, not yet anyways. He can be on schedule and we can hear all we WANT to hear but if Rollins is even slower after the injury will he even make the team? After that it's a bunch of UDFA who IMO are JAGS. Maybe they've improved and will be better but no guarantees.

The Packers are going to draft at least 2 possibly 3 CB's in the first 5 rounds, they HAVE to IMO. At the end of the day Williams will be a better option than most of those picks so I think he'll play quite a bit. They'll try to limit snaps and keep him fresh, but they probably won't have much choice.

The Packers will probably be adding someone or someones who are veterans before TC

Worst case scenario, he has to start a few games. Best case we have some actual quality depth for the first time in years, a guy who can at the very least be part of a rotation. Based I what I've read hear and elsewhere, let's sign Bashaun Breeland, trade for Kareem Hunt, and add a couple of new corners in the 1st 100 picks. That will be a serious remake of the secondary.

As it stands he pretty much has to start the season as CB 1 or CB2 and probably still needs to be nickle guy even if a draft pick progresses quickly.

He absolutely starts. At this point Tramon Wiliams is our best CB. Shoulders are tricky injuries and King is going contend with his for a bit yet. Either way, no one else in this secondary has shown that they can play in this league. We will need to add at least one more starting quality CB through the draft and/or training camp signings AND that will just cover us IF no injuries occur.

Williams will play. Bank on it. Even more than a Cb @14. He wasn't just signed so the kids could develop. The plan is King, Williams, and Rollins. Experience. This secondary doesn't need Rookies. It needs people that know what their doing. Williams will prove that. And the packers will still cover their butts by drafting some back up.

What *if*? Huh?!

He's the best CB on the roster right now.
He had a PFF score in the hi 80s; nearly everyone else had a score in the 50s (including King)!

He's starting. And that's with no injuries, yet.

I don't expect Williams to play nearly as good as he did in AZ. It's a lot easier when your the third best corner on the team next to two Pro bowlers vs playing with the Packers grab bag of crappy corners.

He'll start every game unless/until he gets hurt. Tramon will be better than what we've trotted out there the last couple of years but still not good enough.

Not sure if he'll play over King or the rookie that is coming but I have little doubt he was brought here to start.

My hope is that Williams starts the season until a rookie or young player is ready to take over.

If a rookie or young player (Pipkins, Rollins, Waters...) are able to over take Williams as a starter that would likely be a good thing.

I'd love to see a rookie come in be the next Lattimore but honestly the odds of that happening aren't great. But I think they could come in and compete and earn a greater role. It would help the rookie coming in too if they didn't have to come in and be the guy right away. Allowing them to get on the field when they were ready to, not forcing them to be on the field.

Man I love how Ward plays, but this Alexander kid is slowly creeping up to the top of my list..

I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, he will be starting. It seems to me, they're paying him starting money. If you're gonna draft a corner at 14 , I don't think you'd spend that kind of money on a backup CB.

What if Calvin Ridley has to start???

Charles Woodson played effectively until he was 39 so maybe TW can still be effective at 35. I think that he starts and provides some leadership to what will be an untried secondary at best.

King has 10 games experience at the most and Rollins has played in 33 games but only started 15 of those.

It looks like Gute is waiting until after the draft to add another FA CB but we need another vet CB as injury insurance if nothing else. I'm assuming that we will draft at least 2 CBs, maybe 3. Plus our previous UDFAs and a few more added after the draft.
Donatello Brown, Pipkins and Waters are probably the best of the UDFAs but who knows if any of them could start and be effective.

We're expecting Pettine to improve the defense, including myself. However, we should remember that Pettine had Revis at his best with the Jets and had one side of the field he didn't' need to worry about. Unless he or the Packers find another Revis his job here in GB is significantly more difficult. Thanks, Since '61

One of the problems predicting this is dealing with the Capers-Pettine transition. We may say all our young DB's are garbage, but 2 of them (Hyde, Hayward) went elsewhere and flourished.

Point is, the whole defensive scheme was a mess, with terrible utilization of players. When your D is a sieve up front, DB's become nothing more than desperate little guys playing too far off, chasing receivers with too much time and running backs with too many holes.

Is Williams some big upgrade due to his experience? I have no idea.

I really want to see our young DB's develop this Spring. Under Pettine, we may find we have a lot more talent back there than we thought. Maybe Williams starts, or maybe he's entering a better DB room than most think.

In recent years it seems everyone has been making starts and getting snaps in at corner due to injury. I have a hard time believing Tramon won't be leaned on quite a bit at least early on and I'd take it to Vegas hes making several starts.

Side note, there the obvious choices at corner in the draft being Ward of hes available though not likely, Jackson, Alexander, Hughes and so on. What about my guy Carlton Davis out of Auburn? Dudes sticky, athletic, physical, went toe to toe with the best competition each week...BG has probably been watching him for a lot of his career being a Southeast scout most recently, would fit in the system...it just makes so much sense to me and I see a scenario where they go after him trading down into the late first or early second. I have to believe both Pettine and BG like this guy

Oh the NFL passing league, It puts pressure on everyone. 1st you need a QB big money.
Next you need a LT, big money.
Next you need an edge rusher , big money.
Next, a shut down CB, big money.
Next a WR, big money.
There is only so much big money a team can spend in the salary cap era. The only solution is the draft and young guys contributing right away.

Williams starts on the boundary for sure. That is of course unless we land another “better” veteran before the season starts. He’s the best CB on the roster, regardless of his age. If he’s healthy, I predict he will have a good year for us.

Very good article Jason. Finally a dose of reality around here, instead of delusions of grandeur about 35 yo CB's.
If Tramon has to start, we have problems, just like we did/would with House in the same position.
The starter opposite King most likely isn't on the roster yet.

Right now, I would say Williams is #2 on the CB depth chart. I put King in front of him if King heals up. If Williams remains at #2, I don't know enough about his play to say if that is an issue. He graded well last year.

My hope is that they draft/sign FA CBs to create enough competition that only one of the UDFA CBs remain on the team, and maybe one of them goes back to practice squad. I think House is a definite upgrade to any of the UDFA CBs on the roster. If they come out of the draft with only one CB, then perhaps they look at signing House to another 1 year deal.

I'll bet Williams looks really good going against the Packers receivers in training camp.