The Green Bay Packers used a third-round pick on a “movable chess piece,” as head coach Matt LaFleur put it after they selected Savion Williams. Through five games, Williams has shown he can be a multifaceted weapon, serving as a wide receiver and a runner, lining up at quarterback in the wildcat, and even returning kicks.
Green Bay’s opportunities on offense have been few and far between, though. So, what role will Williams have once Christian Watson and Jayden Reed return?
Watson is tracking to return as early as this week against the Arizona Cardinals. However, it will still be quite a while before Reed is cleared for action. Williams’ looks on offense could change once Watson returns and then again when Reed is back in the mix.
LaFleur was giddy about the pick in April, and rightfully so given the versatility Williams displayed at TCU. “Versatility” is a word that echoes around the halls of Titletown. Williams has plenty of it, but he still hasn’t been on the field enough to show it.
Williams only played seven snaps on offense against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. He only tallied a few more against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 when he got 10. His high-water mark for the season was 11 snaps on offense in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.
It’s fair to point out that Williams is a rookie, and it would be foolish to expect him to be out there a lot. Still, the mounting injuries to the wide receiver corps haven’t resulted in him getting a more significant bump in playing time, which is concerning.
Williams was no afterthought or late-round filler pick. The Packers selected him in the third round after they used a first-round selection on Matthew Golden.
Watson hasn’t played yet this year, and Reed exited on the opening drive in Week 2 to undergo surgery on a broken clavicle and a fracture in his foot. Therefore, this would seem like the obvious time to get Williams out on the field more often.
Instead, he has garnered just four total targets and six rushing attempts. Three of the four targets came in one game back in Week 4 against Dallas. All of that suggests even less focus when Watson and Reed return. Williams’ likely role will be as a kick returner and a player Green Bay sparingly uses on offense.
That isn’t a sure sign of doom and gloom. Williams still has plenty of intrigue. It’s more of the Packers having a lot of mouths to feed on the offense and more proven options available. Still, seeing a seldom-used wide receiver like Malik Heath comfortably get more reps than Williams so far is a bit surprising.
For what it’s worth, Williams has looked increasingly comfortable at kick returner. Against the Bengals, Williams had three kick returns with an average of 32 yards each. It was a significant improvement over his performance in Dallas, where the ball was bouncing before Williams would get to it, throwing off the timing of the entire kick-return unit.
In May, LaFleur discussed developing certain concepts for Williams. An example of that came in Week 2 when Williams lined up in the wildcat at quarterback and scampered for a 16-yard gain against the Commanders.
We’ll get back in the lab and come up with some good things for him. I was super impressed. He was one of the guys we had in for a 30 visit. We had a great visit with him, he was very intelligent. I think he’ll be a guy who can handle the load not just as a prototypical outside receiver. He’ll be a movable chess piece that we can find different ways to put him advantageous situations for us to get him the football.
LaFleur specifically mentioned the idea of putting Williams at quarterback in the wildcat and what was called the “Frog Package” for Williams at TCU.
The ability to go in there and play Wildcat quarterback, get in the backfield and play halfback, or jet sweeps. You just want to find different ways to get him the ball because he’s so big, he’s so powerful, so explosive, and guys just have a tendency to bounce off him. He’s just scratching the surface of the playmaker that he can become.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from what LaFleur said back in May was that Williams is just scratching the surface of what he can become. It’s a reminder to practice patience with a rookie who’s wearing multiple hats.
However, the reality is that if Williams isn’t getting many looks now, they won’t increase once Watson and Reed return. For this year, it appears as though Williams’ focus will be primarily as a kick returner. Let’s stay patient with this one and see if it pays off in the long run.
