Packers see free agent addition as a building block for the present and future

The moment Antoine Winfield got a franchise tag from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kyle Dugger received a transition tag from the New England Patriots, McKinney became the obvious best safety of the market. The position was already deficient for the Packers last season, and it became worse after Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, and Rudy Ford didn’t re-sign.

“He (McKinney) is a unique player to come available,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He’s 24 years old, one of the top safeties in the game, a guy that can be a game-changing type player. And he really kind of fits a little bit of a criteria we're looking for in a free agent, not only as a player, but as a leader back there.”

Schematic advantage

The New York Giants didn’t extend McKinney because GM Joe Schoen wasn’t willing to spend a significant amount of money on a non-premium position. Safety, in fact, isn’t a top position in terms of value, but the versatility McKinney brings to the table allows new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be multiple.

“It’s been so nice to have X. What a pro. How hard he works, the communication, the way he is in the meeting rooms, the way he looks out for the younger guys, that’s the stuff you don’t see,” Hafley mentioned. “Really excited to have him here, continue to have him grow in the scheme and really understand the scheme. It’s our job to put him in position to make a lot of things happen. It’s been fun to see everything that he can do and how quickly he can learn. I’m really glad we have him.”

McKinney’s signing didn’t preclude the Packers to draft three safeties, but it will allow the coaching staff to put the young players where Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladapo play better.

“As a player, first, he’s got great versatility,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard. “When you watch his point of attack, he can play in deep zones. He can play underneath coverage, as well. He can play in man coverage. He can box fit in the run game. He’s got a natural feel to fit the run in the run game and then he can blitz and he was a single-digit missed tackle guy.”

Leadership style

As Brian Gutekunst said, who Xavier McKinney is as a person also helped the Packers pull the trigger on an expensive contract of almost $17 million per year — and it can get there with incentives.

In that regard, defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley had an impactful perspective, since he was a main piece to recruit McKinney to Alabama back in 2017.

“Very low-maintenance. He’s a ball guy 24/7. I don’t think he has a whole lot of hobbies. He’d tell you that,” Ansley pointed out. “But he’s the same player I knew back in Roswell, Georgia, that he is now.”

The Packers spent in free agency more than usual, but kept a long-term approach getting young players — Josh Jacobs, for example, is three years younger than Aaron Jones. McKinney is part of that process, and he can be a real building block for the franchise.