'A dream come true'

The second half of Williams' career has been an indoctrination to the totality of the defense. Once just an outside cornerback, Williams began moving more inside with the Packers in 2013 and shifted to safety for two games with Cleveland in 2016.

This year has been a sum of the whole for Williams, who said from the moment he re-signed with Green Bay it was his intention not to just lead a young secondary in the locker room, but also to continue playing at an elite level.

Williams started the season outside before moving to the slot and finally occupying the vacancy created at safety after Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was traded to Washington for a 2019 fourth-round pick on Oct. 30.

Through the highs and the lows, the wins and the losses, Williams has been a constant in Mike Pettine's defense. Come Sunday, Williams, Martinez and Clay Matthews will be the only defenders to start all 16 games for the Packers this season.

"Tramon is that glue," said defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. "Might have done a little bit of a disservice to him this year with all the moving we had to do with him, but he was the glue that kept the group together.

"He's always available. He's super-smart. He's somebody the guys can come to on a number of different fronts. It's been a pleasure to work with him. … He's one of the favorite guys I've coached over my time."

The respect Williams has garnered across the league was never more apparent than last month when the 12th-year veteran was named as a finalist for the 2018 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, an honor recognizing players who exemplify fair play, respect for the game and integrity in competition.

For as much as he once idolized Woodson, Collins and Harris, Williams is held in similarly high regard by current and former members of Green Bay's secondary – from rookie draft picks Jaire Alexander or Josh Jackson to All-Pro defensive backs such as Hayward and Micah Hyde, who credit a portion of their success to Williams' tutelage.

Hyde, who now plays safety for the Buffalo Bills, was thrust into a starting role during his rookie season in 2013. What Hyde appreciated about that year was how Williams would talk to him about anything – life or football.

When adversity hit, Williams was always steady. He'd tell Hyde, Hayward and the other young cornerbacks not to get "too caught up in the scheme of things" or "driving yourself insane with X's and O's. Because at the end of the day, it's just football."

"That's what I took away from Tramon," Hyde said. "He's just a leader. It's not that he has to say much. It's just what he does every day – his work ethic, and what he does on and off the field. Just a humble guy, down to earth."

If there was ever a performance that personified Williams' toughness and versatility, it was Sunday against the New York Jets.

Filling in on punt returns, a role he hadn't played in Green Bay since 2010 prior to this season, Williams took a heavy shot from gunner Trenton Cannon with a minute left in the first half.

Williams, who had no problem with the hit after the game despite it drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty, bit through his tongue and was sent to the locker room to receive stitches above his right eye.

The game didn't matter in the win-loss column, but Williams didn't miss a defensive snap. Having cleared the concussion protocol, the veteran was back the very next time the defense was on the field in third quarter.

Just like Woodson, Harris and Collins before him.

"Obviously the year didn't go like we wanted it to man, but I said if I would go down with any team, it would be this one," Williams said. "Just for the opportunity to be able to come back here and play here alone was more than a dream come true than anything, because it rarely happens a guy is able to come back after he's gone from a team. It rarely happens, especially at my age.