It’s early, but the Green Bay Packers‘ investment in signing star safety Xavier McKinney in free agency earlier this spring is already paying major dividends.
McKinney has already logged eight total tackles and intercepted two passes through the Packers’ first two games, more than living up to expectations that he would be a key piece of new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s revamped secondary.
Xavier McKinney Looks like Green Bay Packers’ Centerpiece
When the Packers hired Hafley, the goal was to add a playmaker capable of being the centerpiece of turning around a unit that struggled mightily down the stretch last season.
Through two weeks, McKinney looks like the centerpiece on defense that the Packers were hoping for.
“It’s very encouraging,” McKinney said, via ESPN, of his early-season success. “Anytime you can get takeovers is always fun. It gives us confidence as a defense. We get a better feel of … playing with our instincts and playing fast. I think that’s what it’s been doing. Obviously, the more that we get, we’re building that confidence more and more every time we step out there on the field. We’re executing. We keep doing that, we can do some really good things.”
Prior to arriving in Green Bay, McKinney was viewed as an emerging playmaker and arguably the New York Giants’ top defender.
McKinney so far is living up to that reputation, having produced 287 total tackles with 1.5 sacks and 11 interceptions through his first 51 games.
Hafley’s system is predicated on dominant play in the secondary, which McKinney is delivering early on.
