The cornerback position has been the source of a lot of concern and consternation for Green Bay Packers fans in recent times and remains a question mark entering the 2026 season.
The only player who appears to have a starting spot nailed down is Keisean Nixon, who himself has been a polarizing player within the fanbase.
While Nixon is the root of a lot of frustration, it is hard to objectively argue against the fact he has become a starting caliber corner. PFF ranked him as their 37th best cornerback among 112 qualifiers in 2025, and 31st in coverage grade.
That makes him a high end No. 2 corner, or a low end No. 1. The issue with Nixon is that he should not really be a team’s best cornerback, and it is not his fault that he was cast in that role last season for Green Bay.
Nixon can be a solid part of a cornerback rotation, but the Packers are still searching for someone to produce a higher level of performance, as they have been since Jaire Alexander began to miss a lot of time with injury issues, before eventually being released.
Maybe it was always unrealistic to think Carrington Valentine could be that player as a former seventh-round pick, and he failed to take the step many were hoping for in 2025, with PFF ranking him 58th, profiling him as a low end CB2.
The Nate Hobbs experiment was an unmitigated failure and was cut short after just one year, putting the Packers back to square one in their quest for better cornerback play.
General manager Brian Gutekunst hit the position with both barrels this offseason, signing Benjamin St-Juste in free agency and drafting a pair of corners, Brandon Cisse in the second round and Domani Jackson in the sixth.
The Packers are hoping to strike gold with St-Juste, who was PFF’s 12th highest-graded corner in 2025, although it was in limited playing time, as he was only on the field for 378 snaps for the Chargers.
His career before 2025 was underwhelming, and his contract, a two-year, $9.8 million contract, does not inspire a strong belief he will be the answer. Still, it is a worthwhile bet to make on a corner with elite size at over 6-3 and 200 pounds with some impressive recent tape.
St-Juste was not able to practice during OTAs or mandatory minicamp as he instead worked with the rehab group, meaning he missed an early opportunity to impress the coaching staff.
Asked about St-Juste, head coach Matt LaFleur said: “It’s a ‘wait and see’ approach, I am excited about the player though. We’ve gone against him when he was in Washington, certainly what he put on tape last year with the Chargers I thought was impressive.
“He’s a really intelligent guy, so I’m excited about him. Obviously you can’t coach that size and length that he possesses, so he’ll definitely be in the mix.”
Also in the mix will be Cisse, who is Green Bay’s biggest draft investment at the position since they took Eric Stokes in the first round in 2021.
Working against an early impact from Cisse is that he is a very young and raw corner at just 21 years old (in early July). Working in his favor is elite athleticism, by all accounts a strong work ethic, and the fact he has a genuine opportunity at an unsettled position.
On how Cisse has fared so far, LaFleur said: “He looks pretty good. Certainly he’s got a ton to learn and a lot to improve upon, as is to be expected of any young player.
“He’s just gotta continue to build on the foundation he’s set, and I think for all these guys, it’s critical when they’re away from here, the work you put in is gonna show up when training camp comes around.”
A positive for the Packers is that Javon Bullard appears to have locked down the slot corner position, giving them one less spot to worry about in the defensive backfield. Bullard had the third lowest yards per snap allowed among 57 eligible slot defenders in 2025.
He impressed during the offseason program, skying to pick off a Jordan Love pass for one of the highlights of minicamp.
Discussing Bullard and his improvement over time, LaFleur said: “I think he’s played pretty damn good football the last two years. We always talk about style of play and he epitomizes what we wanna be about in terms of his effort, physicality, finish.
“I just think the longer these guys are in the league, the more familiar they are with certain looks, they understand the ‘why’ a little bit better, the detail of how you go about executing, and I think it’s been a very, very, very productive spring for Bull.”
Between Nixon and Bullard, as well as Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams at safety, most of Green Bay’s defensive backfield is set. Training camp will go a long way to determining who the other outside cornerback will be, and the Packers will be hoping someone decisively asserts themselves.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Matt LaFleur talks Packers cornerbacks with jobs still up for grabs
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire | USA TODAY Network
