GREEN BAY – On the first day of free agency back in March, the Packers made their biggest splash in five years, signing safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs.
So far, those moves couldn't have worked out any better as the Packers get set for Sunday's first division game of 2024 with the NFC North-leading Vikings coming to Lambeau Field.
The starts those two are off to, with McKinney leading the league with three interceptions and Jacobs ranking sixth with 278 rushing yards, are certainly reminiscent of 2019, when free-agent signees Preston and Za'Darius Smith, along with Adrian Amos, all started fast, too.
The Smith Bros. combined for 13 sacks in their first six games as Packers, while Amos had a game-clinching interception in the opener against his old team, Chicago. They provided instant impact, just as McKinney and Jacobs have.
The Packers aren't major players in free agency often, but General Manager Brian Gutekunst has shown that when he is, it has paid off.
McKinney has transformed a Packers safety position that was overhauled in the offseason, and in becoming just the second Green Bay defender with an interception in each of his first three games with the Packers (joining linebacker John Anderson in 1978), he's presumably giving upcoming opponents pause when it comes to taking shots deep downfield.
All three of his picks have come on deep balls over the top – two in the first quarter, one in the fourth last week at Tennessee.
"Would you think twice if he was back there? I would," defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said this week. "I mean, if you put too much air on the ball or you stare somebody down, he's going to go get it."
Hafley really enjoys reviewing McKinney's game film, seeing how he's reading the opposing offense and anticipating so well he's breaking toward the ball before the QB has cocked his arm. He also appreciates the constant communication and the eagerness to lead, as the two exchange text messages when away from the facility and meet in Hafley's office to go over the game plan before it's being presented to the whole defense.
McKinney stays on top of all he can, and Hafley says he's like having another coach behind the defense, commanding everything.
"He's had a really, really good three games, and I don't think it's by chance," Hafley said. "That's what you get when you're talented and you work that hard and you get on the field, it's not luck. His preparation has met his opportunity and he's taken off with it."
According to Hafley, McKinney is also very exacting in practice, demanding every snap be run just right, especially with all the young safeties around him who look to him for guidance. He cares about every detail, every play.
Those comments echo what offensive pass game coordinator Jason Vrable said the previous week about Jacobs, when he was coming off his workhorse 32-carry, 151-yard rushing day in the win over the Colts.
Vrable noted Jacobs is so competitive in practice, "he wants every rep to be game-like, but for every position," and he'll let his teammates know when it's "slacking" and not up to that standard. Jacobs can demand that because it's how he practices himself.
He takes it to the game field, too, shaking off a slow start in the opener in Brazil to power his way to 80 yards on 10 carries after halftime. He followed that up by becoming the first Packers running back with 30-plus carries in a game in 16 years (Ryan Grant, 2008).
Jacobs is the headliner for a Green Bay rushing offense that currently ranks first in the league with more than 600 yards on the ground. He's also taken ownership for his two fumbles (one lost), making no excuses for the miscues.
McKinney and Jacobs both establishing that level of leadership so soon after arriving as free agents from other teams speaks both to their professionalism and experience as team captains with their previous clubs.
The Packers weren't lacking for veteran leaders on either side of the ball after last season, with veterans like Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, Rashan Garyand Jaire Alexander in the spotlight on defense, along with Jordan Love and Elgton Jenkins on offense.
But McKinney and Jacobs weren't going to just sit back and defer to others. That's not in their nature. That's not why they were the top players on the market at their respective positions.
They've each established a presence in the Packers' locker room, which is worth highlighting this particular week when the opponent is the Vikings.
As McKinney was the one big free-agent addition to Green Bay's defense, Minnesota revamped almost its entire unit in free agency by bringing in edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery, linebackers Blake Cashman and Jihad Ward, and cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore. One free agent vs. a whole host of them.
Meanwhile Jacobs will be up against the league's second-ranked rushing defense Sunday while the running back he replaced, the Packers' third all-time leading rusher Aaron Jones, makes his return to Lambeau with the Vikings. Perhaps it's an awkward or unenviable spot for Jacobs to be in, but he won't let it distract from his focus.
"One of the things that any player wants is respect," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "But it's just not necessarily given. You've got to earn that."
These two have done so, and they've done it the right way.
