Keisean Nixon enters 2026 in a strange place for the Packers: still important enough to draw notice, but no longer secure enough to feel untouchable.
That tension is baked into the way Green Bay is approaching its roster heading into the new season. The Packers open on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S.
Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, then head to MetLife Stadium in Week 2 to face the New York Jets before returning to Lambeau Field in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons. With the sense that Green Bay is in a Super Bowl window, every one of those games carries weight.
Nixon, though, is one of the more complicated names on the list.
On the surface, there’s a strong case for him to sit much higher than No. 17.
He came into training camp as the Packers’ de facto No. 1 cornerback, earned a Pro Bowl nod last season and finished second in the league with 13 pass breakups. That production makes him look like one of the team’s top players.
But the film tells a messier story.
Nixon plays with the kind of aggression you want from a cornerback, but that edge often cuts both ways. He gets caught out of position, gives up plays, and his after-the-whistle habits have already cost Green Bay yards. He’s also drawn criticism for not always bringing the kind of physicality you’d expect against the run.
That’s where the concern starts to go beyond performance. Nixon is now a candidate to become a locker room cancer in 2026 as rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse pushes to become the best cornerback on the team. While working with the second team in training camp, Nixon said he believes the Packers are punishing him.
The bigger issue is trust. The article’s view of Nixon is blunt: he may have the talent, but he can’t be counted on.
His 2025 season was heavy with usage and mixed in the results. Nixon played 1,014 snaps, finished with 62 solo tackles, 13 passes broken up and one interception.
Opponents also had success when targeting him, posting a 105.2 passer rating, and he allowed 50 catches in coverage. He was second in the league in passes broken up, but he ranked 66th in yards per reception allowed at 11.4.
Nixon’s own words underscored the frustration around his role. “I guess I’m being punished right now, I guess, I don’t know. I don’t really worry about what I’m running in camp, the ones and twos, I just keep my process and compete."
What happens next is the real question. Nixon could open the season in the starting lineup, but there’s also a path where Cisse quickly takes over as the Packers’ CB1 and Benjamin St-Juste becomes the more trusted option. If Nixon slides into a rotational role, the issue becomes whether he accepts it or pushes back.
That’s the crossroads Green Bay is staring at with him right now.
In Other News...
Jordan Love Called This Cardinals Practice Moment His Lowest Point
Joint practices are often where the details get sharpened before the games start to count, and Jordan Love came away from the Packers session with the Cardinals remembering one sequence in particular. Green Bay got the kind of live work a staff wants in August, but Love pointed to a stalled series from the five-yard line as the low point of the day, the sort of missed chance that lingers because it is so close to a real-game situation.
There was also a tense moment for Tucker Kraft, who is back after a torn ACL and took a late hit during the workout. He responded well and said he is playing without concern for his knee, which is exactly the kind of encouraging news the Packers want to hear as they turn from practice to their preseason meeting with Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Have A New Camp Battle Fans Need To Watch
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Donovan Jennings may have been the most consequential name on the field, though, because the first-team reps he picked up looked like the kind of practice usage that can tilt a roster decision. Jager Burton, by contrast, seemed to see his role shrink, which only adds another layer to a position battle that could become one of the more interesting things to track as camp moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Backfield Suddenly Has A Bigger Pierre Strong Jr. Question
The Packers backfield has taken on a different kind of uncertainty in training camp, with Josh Jacobs still working through a groin issue while the league weighs whether to suspend him after misdemeanor charges tied to an alleged domestic violence incident. For now, Jacobs remains on the depth chart and around the team, but the situation has already shifted the conversation in Green Bay from simple camp reps to contingency planning.
Brian Gutekunst said the Packers believe they can handle whatever comes next, and that is where MarShawn Lloyd and Pierre Strong Jr. become more than depth pieces. If Jacobs is unavailable, the workload has to go somewhere, and the attention on Strong has grown because Green Bay needs dependable answers behind its starter, not just bodies for practice snaps. [Read more 🡒]