The key to the position heading into the draft is whether or not slotback and returner Keisean Nixon decides to resign.
Whether or not the position is a high priority this offseason, Green Bay Packers fans are probably most divided on the position of cornerback. The top three positions in the class for the 2024 NFL Draft are wide receiver, offensive line, and cornerback, so when the Packers are on the clock in the late first round, there should be some cornerback talent available.
Now, the question is whether the team can truly make the decision to take a player that early in the draft. We’ll talk about cornerback in today’s Green Bay Packers State of the Roster, along with the moving components that should help the team decide on a starter this offseason.
Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Zyon Gilbert, and Anthony Johnson are the cornerbacks that are under contract.
Robert Rochell (RFA), Corey Ballentine, and Keisean Nixon are free agents.
The health of Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, the starting cornerbacks for the Packers, is a major topic of discussion at the position. The absence of Alexander from 13 games in 2021 and 10 games in 2023 caused fans to become more anxious about the cornerback room going forward. Stokes, meanwhile, has had an extremely bad run of play since his breakthrough rookie campaign in 2021. He has only played in 12 of the last 34 regular season games for the Packers due to multiple hamstring injuries and a season-ending knee and foot injury in 2022.
Can you rely on them to play well? That is the main point of contention. The question of whether the Packers have enough cornerbacks to complete their roster is moot if you can. Recall that the team traded Rasul Douglas and a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for their third-round pick at the trade deadline because they felt they had enough depth at the position.
After health, the next important consideration at the position is whether the team will be able to re-sign Keisean Nixon in 2024. Nixon was signed to a one-year, $4 million contract last offseason after being named to the First Team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons. Nixon appeared to reach the group’s objectives.
There is still no answer to any of those questions. In the meantime, it is already past time to carry out Nixon’s void seasons. Is there any significance to that? Perhaps? Don’t expect Green Bay to be eliminated from the Nixon race merely because of this mechanism, as both Nixon and inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell have re-signed with the Packers after having their void seasons hit the salary cap in the past.
The Packers will have four mouths to feed for just 2.5 positions if Nixon re-signs—Alexander, Stokes, Nixon, and Carrington Valentine. Recall that Green Bay should be able to play a little bit more true base defense in the 4-3 defense than they did in the 3-4.
The way the team handles Nixon during the offseason will reveal a lot about how they feel about the cornerbacks’ room. It’s probably safe to assume that the team won’t target the position early in the draft if he returns to the team. All bets are off, though, if Nixon signs with another party.
Since Nixon, Corey Ballentine, and Robert Rochell (a restricted free agent) are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March, the Packers currently lack depth at the position. For a player who nearly only plays special teams, the $2 million cash tender to keep Rochell is excessive. Presume that after testing the open market, Ballentine and Rochell will be re-signed to contracts that are close to league minimums.
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