The Packers’ cornerback picture has been unsettled all summer, but one rookie has kept pushing himself to the front of the conversation. Brandon Cisse, the second-round pick out of South Carolina, looks like he may already have put himself in position to matter right away.
That would have seemed like a long shot when Green Bay took him 52nd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. The assumption was that Cisse would be brought along carefully, given time to adjust and not be leaned on too heavily early. Instead, he’s spent training camp making that idea harder and harder to hold onto.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has not exactly treated the cornerback room like a settled group since camp opened. And while attention has drifted toward starting cornerback Keisean Nixon, Cisse has gone about his work and kept earning more trust. The result could be a real path to one of the starting spots in the secondary.
The rookie backed that up in his preseason work against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. In a short appearance, he flashed with a strong open-field tackle early in the game that prevented a touchdown. It was the kind of play that jumps off the tape and reminds everyone that he’s not just surviving out there - he’s making plays.
Cisse’s momentum hasn’t been limited to game action, either. Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day Podcast noted that the rookie has been operating like a full-time starter during camp, even as other corners rotate through.
“So much rotation at CB today. Except for Brandon Cisse. He’s basically been the full time starter since Day 4 of practice and I don’t see him giving it up any time soon.
Nixon with a play at the line on a checkdown to Kraft then a Pbu vs Golden.
Zaire has been all over the…”
That kind of usage says plenty, whether the Packers are simply trying to get him as many snaps as possible or already see him as one of the key pieces back there.
Still, there’s a difference between camp buzz and regular-season football. Cisse has been sharp in practice and preseason, but he has not yet lined up against legitimate opposing wide receivers in a real game. That’s the test that matters, and it’s the one he hasn’t taken yet.
Even so, Green Bay may not have much choice but to give him that chance sooner than expected. Nixon appears to be dealing with issues in camp, and Carrington Valentine and Benjamin St-Juste have not yet locked down the kind of reliability the Packers need. For now, Cisse is the cornerback who has most clearly forced his way into the picture.
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