Packers cornerback Tramon Williams played through a painful shoulder problem last season, and it still hasn’t fully healed.
Williams told Paul Imig of FoxSportsWisconsin.com that he was still around “50 percent” strength according to tests performed earlier this month. The problem was initially described as a “bruise,” but that makes it the worst bruise ever, if it still hasn’t healed nine months later.
“It probably was worse during the season. It was bad,” Williams said. “I hadn’t done anything on it for a while, trying to heal it up a little bit. I started my rehab process, did that for a couple weeks, then we did the strength test to see where we were.
“They tested my strong arm, which is my left arm, and then the right arm, and my right arm was significantly weaker than my left arm. And this is my dominant arm, my right arm, so it was weak. Let’s just say that.
“It was terrible. If I hold my arm right here and told you to push it, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t even hold it up, still.”
He said a test of nerve function showed him at 15 percent in the injured shoulder. The 29-year-old was once a very good bump-and-run corner, but being one-armed clearly impacts that, and he’s probably going to be limited in training camp.
He obviously wasn’t the same player last year as when he went to the Pro Bowl, but he still had four interceptions. As much of a concern as his condition is, fixing the Packers defense doesn’t center on him. Improving their pass rush would make things easier on Williams and everyone else in the secondary.