Thursday Cheese Curds: Packers finally have a truly elite safety once again

Thursday Cheese Curds: Packers finally have a truly elite safety once again
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It’s been a long time, getting from there to here.

It has been some time since the Green Bay Packers employed one of the best safeties in the NFL. We can quibble about the one Pro Bowl season from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in 2016 and Adrian Amos’ solid play, but the fact is that not since Nick Collins retired after the 2011 season has the safety position featured a player as consistently excellent and highly-regarded around the NFL as Xavier McKinney is.

Today, as ESPN continues its ranking of the top players at each position in the NFL, we see McKinney near the very top of the safety list, an acknowledgment of his huge contribution to the Packers’ defense last season and the expectation that he continue his elite play.

It has been a long decade-and-a-half since Collins’ retirement for the Packers when it comes to safety play. Remember names like M.D. Jennings, Kentrell Brice, and Raven Greene? Each of them were significant contributors at the position at times over the last 15 years. So while the Packers continue to work on nailing down McKinney’s running mate — with Evan Williams looking like the best candidate for now — at least they know they have that one elite player on the back end that has been a missing link on defense since their most recent Super Bowl run.

Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL's top 10 safeties for 2025 - ESPN
Xavier McKinney ranks third after coming in at 10th place last year. Packers fans will probably be a bit irritated that he slots in behind the Lions' Brian Branch, however.

Tua Tagovailoa, Micah Parsons and one player contract worth watching for every NFL team - The Athletic
Zach Tom is the pick for the Packers, despite Elgton Jenkins' current questions. Tom is in line for a new deal, but unlike many of the players on this list, he participated in the entire offseason program.

Former Packers WR coach Buddy Geis dies at 79 | Packers.com
Geis was the team's wideouts coach under Lindy Infante from 1988 to 1991 and was instrumental in Sterling Sharpe's development.

Davante Adams recalls missing signal from Aaron Rodgers during rookie season with Packers | Packers Wire
Our pick for WR1 of the last 25 years says that he completely changed his preparation habits immediately after misinterpreting a hand signal from Rodgers and getting chewed out.

Saints reveal new alternate white helmet for 2025 season | NFL.com
Personally, I love what the Saints did here and I wish the Packers had done something similar to this with their new white helmet last year -- specifically having a bit of contrast with the facemask and the stripe.

Heathrow to pipe 'sounds of an airport' around airport | BBC
So the London airport has recorded the sounds of *checks notes* the London airport to play over the speakers at ... *checks notes again* the London airport. Got it.