Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Packers are in search of the perfect slot
Green Bay — Maybe the most promising part of the best Green Bay Packers cornerbacks group in several years was it never realized its full potential.
If not for Jaire Alexander’s shoulder injury Week 4, the Packers likely never would have discovered Rasul Douglas. The journeyman Douglas seamlessly stepped into Alexander’s role as a playmaking corner in the Packers secondary after being signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in October. His play allowed first-round rookie cornerback Eric Stokes to comfortably develop into the NFL.
Alexander didn’t return until the playoffs, and even then the 2020 second-team All-Pro was limited. He played just eight snaps against the San Francisco 49ers, preventing the Packers from getting a full glimpse of the potential Alexander, Douglas and Stokes could have in the same secondary.
There are many reasons for the Packers to believe they can field their best defense in more than a decade this fall, but their cornerback triumvirate is near the top of that list.
Cornerback
Locks: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes.
Good bet: Keisean Nixon.
On the bubble: Shemar JeanCharles, Kabion Ento.
Long shots: Rico Gafford, Raleigh Texada, Kiondre Thomas.
Biggest offseason move
The Packers did not draft a cornerback for only the third time in the past 12 years, but given their injuries and freeagency situation at the position, they had two major additions internally. Alexander is practically an addition after playing only 227 snaps last season, just eight of them coming after September. Retaining Douglas this spring enabled the Packers to keep their cornerback position a strength. The Packers extended Alexander a record four-year, $84 million contract in May, locking him up long term before the final year of his rookie deal in 2022. With an additional threeyear, $21 million for Douglas, the Packers poured more than $100 million into their pass coverage. Even if just $35 million of that is guaranteed, it was a significant investment in one of the most important positions on the field.
Position battle
Behind the top three, the Packers’ cornerback group lacks depth. Nixon, the lone veteran addition this offseason, figures to be their fourth corner because of his special-teams experience and ability to play in the slot. Traditionally, a team keeps at least five cornerbacks, sometimes six. Jean-Charles and Ento figure to be the frontrunners to fill out the depth chart. Jean-Charles was a fifth-round pick last season. Though he played only 37 snaps on defense, he was a fixture on special teams with more than 230 reps. The Packers have stayed patient with Ento as he has battled injuries. Ento has been part of their practice squad when healthy since 2019 and is a long, rangy corner, the type general manager Brian Gutekunst covets.
Keep an eye on
Stokes had a solid rookie season, showing his 4.25 speed can play in coverage. Most impressive, he was physical in coverage, though his tackling was an issue. Stokes’ 14 defended passes last season were three more than Alexander had as a rookie, showing he has star potential. He had just one interception, however. Alexander has proven it’s possible to be a star without a wealth of picks, snaring just five in his career. Still, Stokes said this offseason he wants to focus on his ability to play the football, something that would take his game to the next level. If he can become a playmaker, the Packers would have two ball-hawking corners in their secondary, and a shutdown cover man in Alexander who can take away half the field.
Key question
In Alexander, Douglas and Stokes, the Packers’ top three cornerbacks each profile as a perimeter player. They’ll need someone to fill the slot position, but there isn’t a natural fit. Given Alexander’s size and quickness, he figured to be the most likely of the three to move inside. But top cornerbacks traditionally play the perimeter, and Alexander’s shoulder injury last season makes a move inside less ideal given the required physicality in the run game. The Packers played Douglas in the slot heavily during minicamp, something that could work on occasion given his safety size (6-2, 209 pounds) closer to the football, but he doesn’t have the foot speed to track the NFL’s quicker slot receivers. Stokes has that speed, but he missed eight tackles in 67 chances last season. The Packers will need to figure out their slot position in training camp.
Prediction
Even before his injury, Alexander got off to a slow start last season. He allowed two touchdowns in his first four games, uncharacteristic of his dominant coverage skills. Don’t expect Alexander to become complacent after getting paid this past spring, not after the bitter taste left with how last season ended. Alexander worked four months to get back for the playoffs, only for his last play to be a game-sealing missed tackle against 49ers All-Pro Deebo Samuel. Alexander talked this offseason about how much the play motivated him. He’ll use that to return at an All-Pro level in 2022.