Kamal Hadden has turned a delayed start into a real roster conversation for the Packers.
The cornerback missed OTAs and the early part of training camp after the ankle injury he suffered last December, but since getting back on the field he’s kept showing up in ways that matter. With Javon Bullard dealing with a foot injury, Hadden has even gotten first-team work in the slot, a spot that is not exactly his natural home. He’s been mostly a boundary corner, but the move has only made him more noticeable.
That unfamiliar role hasn’t slowed him down. In Wednesday’s practice, Hadden picked off a Jordan Love pass over the middle and looked comfortable doing it. For a player trying to climb a crowded depth chart, those are the kinds of snaps that stick.
The Packers’ cornerback picture is still unsettled, but the numbers are working against him. Carrington Valentine and Domani Jackson are back from injuries, which gives Green Bay five healthy corners who would seem to sit ahead of Hadden right now: Valentine, Jackson, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste and Keisean Nixon. From a pure roster-math standpoint, that’s a tough climb.
Jackson, as a promising rookie draft pick, would be especially hard to bump. And even if Nixon were to lose his starting job, the Packers would still expect him to help in some capacity.
Still, Hadden is making himself harder to ignore by adding versatility to the equation. If he can keep flashing in the slot, he gives the Packers a backup nickel option, and that kind of flexibility can change how a roster spot gets decided.
Matt LaFleur has clearly taken notice. The head coach said Hadden likes to “throw his face in the fire” and praised the physical edge he brings against the run. “That's what you need at that position,” LaFleur said Wednesday.
That physicality has been a consistent point of emphasis for LaFleur and the Packers, and Hadden has fit that demand while filling in for Kitan Oladapo in the slot. Oladapo struggled there and was exposed in last week’s preseason game against Pittsburgh, while Hadden sat that game out for precautionary reasons. He should get another chance to show what he can do against the Denver Broncos on Friday.
The problem for Hadden is that the path is still narrow. Carrying six cornerbacks doesn’t make much sense for the Packers’ roster build, especially with the case for seven receivers gaining momentum. An injury replacement would have been his clearest route, but that door looks less open now with Valentine and Jackson back and Bullard expected to be ready by Week 1.
So Hadden still has work to do. But he’s also forcing Green Bay to wrestle with a decision it probably didn’t expect to have.
In Other News...
Packers Face A Josh Jacobs Worry That Could Hit Before Week 1
Josh Jacobs is back on the practice field for Green Bay after dealing with an injury, a welcome sight for a team that expects him to be a major part of the offense this fall. But the Packers attention on their new running back is not limited to football right now, with a league investigation still hanging over him after an alleged domestic incident earlier in the offseason.
ESPNs Adam Schefter reported that the NFL is looking into the matter and that discipline could come before the season begins, leaving Jacobs and the Packers in a holding pattern as Week 1 approaches. Jacobs has denied any wrongdoing and was released from jail, while the case remains under investigation, creating a murky situation for a backfield that was hoping for a clean start. [Read more 🡒]
Packers New Alternate Look Has Fans Debating What History It Honors
The Packers are set to unveil a new alternate uniform Tuesday as part of the NFL and Nikes Rivalries program, with the team planning to wear the look in its Week 5 meeting with the Bears. Chicago will answer with its own alternate set when the rivals meet again on Christmas, giving the matchup a little extra uniform theater to go with the usual edge that comes with Packers-Bears.
For now, the club has only offered a teasing video and a few hints from president Ed Policy that the design will draw from a distinctive slice of Packers history. That has left fans doing what they do best anytime Green Bay puts out a cryptic reveal, debating which era, color scheme or tradition the team is trying to honor, and waiting for Tuesday to settle the argument. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Still Dont Talk Enough About This Lombardi Era Defender
Among the Packers greats to wear No. 46, Hank Gremminger still deserves a bigger place in the conversation. A defensive back drafted in 1956, he became part of the foundation of the Lombardi era and helped drive Green Bays championship rise in the early 1960s, a stretch that also tied him to one of the franchises most successful periods. He later earned Packers Hall of Fame induction in 1976, a fitting nod for a player whose impact went well beyond the usual name recognition.
Gremmingers value showed up in the way the Packers trusted him over time, from the ball production to the leadership. He finished his 10-year run in Green Bay with 28 interceptions and served as a defensive captain in 1964 and 1965, the kind of details that remind you how much of a title team is built on reliable, underappreciated defenders. For fans looking back at the Lombardi years, he is one of those players who helps explain why those teams stayed so tough for so long. [Read more 🡒]