The Green Bay Packers have spent the offseason trying to steady a defense that already had one obvious question mark, but the cornerback spot may be the issue that forces their hand.
Micah Parsons’ injury has been a major talking point, though the expectation was that he would be back sooner rather than later. The cornerback room has been murkier.
Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs both left a lot to be desired, and the Packers already moved on from Hobbs. Valentine, meanwhile, is still battling to keep his roster spot.
Now Keisean Nixon has entered the conversation as another possible casualty before the August 30 roster-cut deadline. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Nixon could be the high-profile name Green Bay considers moving.
“If there is going to be a high-profile move on cutdown day, it would be Nixon,” wrote Demovsky. “Perhaps the Packers will try to trade him or release him.”
Nixon has not exactly strengthened his case this offseason. Last year, he gave up 656 receiving yards and six touchdowns while allowing a 64.4 percent completion rate, and the Packers still kept the door open. Since then, though, he has done himself no favors.
He has been reluctant to help on special teams, where he was once an All-Pro, and he also does not seem thrilled about working with the second-team defense. For a player whose value is much stronger as a returner than in coverage, that kind of posture could end up costing him.
The money situation makes things even trickier. Nixon is seeking a major extension, and the cornerback market has already been reset by Seattle Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon, who now sits at a record $32 million per year. Denzel Ward is right behind him at $31.1 million.
That kind of number would be a massive gamble for Green Bay. Letting Nixon go, though, would create $5 million in cap savings whether the Packers trade him or release him, according to Over The Cap.
It does not sound like the Packers are eager to turn over both Nixon and Valentine, since that would leave them thin and exposed. Nixon is still the more experienced and proven option of the two. Even so, his attitude and his cap hit could make the decision simpler than it first appears for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Green Bay may also have other answers waiting in-house. Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse has apparently impressed enough to look ahead of schedule, and the Packers could end up giving him a bigger role than expected right away. They also brought in Benjamin St-Juste, a veteran who has been described as serviceable and criminally underrated, and he could push hard for a starting job too.
With other teams always hunting for cornerback help, Nixon may not be Green Bay’s problem for much longer.
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
The Packers got a useful look at their roster in the joint practice with the Cardinals, and a few of the camp developments were hard to miss. Matthew Golden continued to show why he has been one of the more watched young players in camp, even with a late drop, while Brandon Cisse flashed with an interception and Bo Melton turned in a strong showing in one-on-one work.
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 🡒]