Four catches for 32 yards won’t take over a Monday morning sports show. Neither will two carries for another nine. But watching Savion Williams against Dallas, I kept thinking about how much more those numbers could become.
The Packers don’t need him to save their offense. They need him to give it another way to work. Sunday night offered a glimpse of how that can happen. Williams caught all four of his targets in Green Bay’s 23-13 win, contributing as both a receiver and a runner in his first appearance of the season. Now Matt LaFleur needs to build on it.
Williams helped get the offense moving
Williams made his presence felt before the Packers had even escaped the shadow of their own end zone.
After Green Bay opened its first possession with a two-yard loss, Williams caught consecutive passes totaling 22 yards. Those catches helped launch a 14-play, 90-yard touchdown drive. Later, he caught a seven-yard screen on a reverse into a flea flicker, giving another glimpse of the different ways LaFleur can involve him.
The opening catches are what stick with me. An offense needs somebody who can make the next play manageable. Someone who can get the ball into his hands without making Jordan Love wait for a route to develop 25 yards downfield. Williams can become that option.
Sunday was a modest beginning. But for a player returning from injured reserve, getting involved immediately and handling every target was worth building on.
Filling the role Jayden Reed left behind
Losing Jayden Reed for the season took a major piece out of this offense. His neck injury forced Green Bay to adjust plans centered on Reed, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft.
Williams now has an opportunity to handle some of the work Reed provided.
Against Dallas, he played 40 offensive snaps, with Green Bay primarily using him in the slot following the injuries to Reed and Skyy Moore. That is a meaningful role right out of the gate. Put Williams in motion. Give him a handoff. Throw him a screen. Let him work across the middle with room to run.
Used together, those calls could make defenders hesitate. A linebacker who has to respect Williams moving across the formation has another responsibility before he can attack the run. A defense that starts jumping the quick throw gives LaFleur an opportunity to call something behind it.
That is where Williams could help this offense grow. His involvement should make the entire formation harder to defend. He still has to earn that attention through production. Sunday gave the Packers a reason to keep giving him opportunities.
Williams’ size gives the Packers more ways to attack
Williams also brings a different physical dimension to that role. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, he is considerably bigger than Reed, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. That gives Green Bay an intriguing combination of size and versatility to develop.
If a defender begins anticipating the screen, can Williams sell it and release up the sideline? If he draws a smaller corner inside, can Love give him a chance above the defender? Near the goal line, can he use his frame to create a throwing window when there isn’t much space available?
Those are possibilities Williams still has to turn into dependable parts of his game. Height alone doesn’t win a contested catch. Timing, positioning, and strong hands have to follow.
But the Packers should give him chances to develop those skills. There is too much potential here to make his involvement predictable. Let him threaten defenses with the ball in his hands and in the air.
Give Love the protection to use it
Another move I want to see Green Bay make as this offense develops: start Kevin Zeitler at right guard.
Travis Glover deserves credit for helping stabilize a line that badly needed it. He has started the past three games, but his recent protection has left room for improvement. According to A to Z Sports, he allowed three pressures against Dallas and five over the past two weeks.
Zeitler, meanwhile, played zero offensive snaps Sunday. If he is healthy and ready to handle a full game, it is time to give him the job. Continuity matters. So does recognizing when an experienced option could improve the offense.
Interior pressure can wreck a play before Love can work through it. It also limits how confidently LaFleur can build on the opportunities Williams presents. Those routes need time, and the running game needs room. Zeitler deserves the opportunity to help provide both.
Green Bay has won three straight, but this offense still has plenty to fix. Williams gives the Packers something new to develop.
Get him involved early. Expand what he is asked to do. Give Love a better chance to find him. Sunday showed that Williams can contribute. The next step is finding out how much.
