Green Bay Packers State of the Roster: Cornerback

The decision to re-sign or let go slotback and returner Keisean Nixon holds the keys for the position going into the draft.

Cornerback is arguably the position where Green Bay Packers fans are most split on whether or not the room is a high-priority position or not this offseason. Looking at the 2024 NFL Draft, the strengths of the class at the top are receiver, offensive line and cornerback, meaning that there should be some cornerback talent available in the late first round when the Packers are on the clock.

The question now is if the team is actually in a position to pull the trigger at the position that early in the draft. In today’s edition of our Green Bay Packers State of the Roster, we’ll touch on cornerback, including the moving parts that should help solidify the Packers’ path at the position this offseason.

• 2/13: Offensive backfield
• 2/14: Pass-catchers
• 2/15: Offensive line
• 2/16: Defensive tackles
• 2/19: Defensive ends
• 2/20: Linebackers
• 2/21: Cornerbacks
• 2/22: Safeties
• 2/23: Specialists

Cornerbacks

Under Contract: Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Zyon Gilbert and Anthony Johnson

Free Agents: Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell (RFA)

A lot of the debate around the position surrounds the health of the Packers’ two starting cornerbacks: Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes. Alexander missed 13 games in 2021 and 10 games in 2023, adding anxiety to fans’ perception of the cornerback room moving forward. Meanwhile, Stokes has been dealing with a terribly unlucky stretch of play since his breakout rookie season of 2021. Multiple hamstring injuries and a season-ending knee and foot injury in 2022 have led to him being on the field for just 12 of the Packers’ last 34 regular season games.

Can you trust them to be on the field? That’s the crux of the argument. If you can, then this question of whether or not the Packers have enough cornerbacks to fill out their roster is a non-issue. Remember, the team thought they were deep enough at the position that they traded away Rasul Douglas (along with a fifth-round pick) at the trade deadline for the Buffalo Bills’ third-round pick.

The next major factor at the position, after health, is whether the team will bring back Keisean Nixon in 2024. Nixon has been named as a First-Team All-Pro kick returner in back-to-back seasons, which led to him being signed on a one-year, $4 million contract last offseason. Nixon seemed to meet the team’s goals for his price point in 2023, but will they bring him back to play a similar role? Will he be asking for more money in 2024, pushing Green Bay out of the market for his services?

None of those questions have been solved. Meanwhile, the deadline for Nixon’s void seasons to be executed has already passed. Does that mean anything? Maybe? Remember, both Nixon and inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell have both re-signed with the Packers after having their void seasons hit the salary cap in the past, so don’t expect Green Bay to be out of the Nixon race just because of this mechanism.

If Nixon is re-signed, the Packers will have four mouths (Alexander, Stokes, Nixon and Carrington Valentine) to feed for just 2.5 positions. Remember, the transition to the 4-3 defense should allow Green Bay to play a little bit more true base defense than they had in the 3-4, meaning that the slot cornerback position will be on the field a little less than in the past. Isn’t that enough? Even with injury questions, the position should easily be able to handle a player being off the field, assuming that Nixon returns.

What the team does with Nixon this offseason will be a huge tell for how they view the cornerbacks room. If he comes back to the team, it’s probably a safe bet that the team doesn’t address the position early on in the draft. If Nixon signs elsewhere, though, all bets are off.

At the moment, the Packers have very little depth at the position because Nixon, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell (restricted free agent) are all set to be free agents in March. The tender to keep Rochell costs around $2 million in cash, far too much for a player who almost exclusively plays special teams. Assume that if Ballentine and Rochell are re-signed, it’s at near league-minimum deals after they test the open market.

Behind Alexander, Stokes and Valentine, the only other cornerbacks under contract at the moment for Green Bay are Zyon Gilbert and Anthony Johnson, two practice squad players who signed reserve/futures deals with the team. Even if Nixon comes back to the Packers in 2024, assume that the team will be in the market for one or two late-round cornerbacks who can contribute on special teams via April’s draft.