Corey Ballentine is Name to Remember on Green Bay Packers

Heading into training camp this summer, there aren’t any glaring holes on the Green Bay Packers’ roster. But, one position people will be keeping an eye on is at cornerback, where Corey Ballentine has a chance to cement his place on the team.

Star cornerback Jaire Alexander is a lock for the starting lineup. The team is hoping that first-round pick Eric Stokes can emerge as a reliable option opposite him on the perimeter. But, health has been an issue for him.

That could open the door for someone such as Corey Ballentine to earn playing time. A sixth-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Division II Washburn University, he was a key part of the team’s secondary last season.

In the opinion of Aaron Schatz of ESPN, Corey Ballentine is the non-starter on the Green Bay Packers to keep an eye on. He has a chance to carve out a prominent role in a secondary that includes only Carrington Valentine behind Stokes and slot corner Keisean Nixon.

“What are the odds that Eric Stokes — who has played a combined 12 games in the past two seasons — can stay on the field as the starting left cornerback all season? Ballentine had better charting numbers last season than his rhyming partner, Carrington Valentine. He allowed just 6.7 yards per target in coverage despite having an average depth of target at 15.0 yards,” Schatz wrote.

Ballentine played in 14 games, starting six, as injuries decimated the cornerback position. He finished with seven passes defended and one interception and 43 total tackles. Mostly a special teams contributor in 2020-2022 with the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, he stepped up big time in 2023 defensively.

He ended up playing 55 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, 488 total defensively, which is more than half of his career defensive snaps to this point. That number could trend upward in 2024, as his performance has warranted a larger role.

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