10 NFC predictions for Week 1 of 2018 NFL season

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DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 31: Green Bay Packers free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21) celebrates a pass break up during a NFL football game between Detroit and Green Bay on December 31, 2017, at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. The Packers’ secondary will be most improved group in 2018

The 2017 Green Bay Packers’ defense was doomed basically from the start due to the limitations of their personnel. With the secondary starting one of the least-prepared rookies in recent years in Kevin King, a physically capped Davon House, and a young Damarious Randall, it was only a matter of time until they’d be exposed. Unfortunately for them, they were off the rails immediately and it forced the team to completely reinvest into the position this offseason.

But the early results of adding Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson, and Tramon Williams have been excellent. They’re a perfect trio as far as alignment, allowing Alexander to be aggressive in the slot, while Jackson and Williams can play man or zone outside. And their collective talent level is dramatically higher than the trio the Packers played last season.

This will in turn benefit safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as well. The Packers need Clinton-Dix to be a roaming playmaker like he was two years ago, as opposed to the version of him that was overcompensating for bad teammates in 2017. This group will free his role from being a savior for the entire unit.