Hope this isn’t true?… TERRIBLE NEWS: Few Minutes ago Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Decide to……read more

The position that ranked among the Green Bay Packers’ biggest weaknesses last year has developed into a major strength.

Green Bay underwent an offseason overhaul at safety by signing Xavier McKinney from the New York Giants and drafting Javon Bullard in the second round and Evan Williams in the fourth round.

Their playmaking ability has helped the Packers (4-2) produce a league-high 17 takeaways heading into their Sunday matchup with the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (5-1).

McKinney wasted no time making an impact with his new team, as he intercepted a pass in each of Green Bay’s first five games.

Now the two rookies are making their presence felt as well, something McKinney anticipated right away.

“They were always around the ball,” McKinney said.

“From the start that they got here, they were making plays, whether that was punchouts, whether that was interceptions, whether that was big hits.

You always knew no matter the timing of it, they were able to make a big play for us.

I knew we had something special in training camp when I saw that.

Pro Football Focus has Williams and McKinney as the two highest-graded safeties in the league. Bullard’s versatility — he can play safety or nickel back — enables all three of them to be on the field at the same time.

“We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.