Cornerback Position Remains a Concern for Green Bay Packers

Preparing to start training camp in a few weeks, the Green Bay Packers have a strong overall roster. By all accounts, they are in the top half of the league when it comes to the players top to bottom.

That ranking could improve as there are still some questions about whether their success is sustainable. Potentially the youngest team in the NFL for a second straight year, people want to see more than the 10-game sample size at the end of 2023.

But, that was a very strong sample. The Green Bay Packers finished the regular season on a 6-2 run, earning a Wild Card berth. They destroyed the Dallas Cowboys during Super Wild Card Weekend and gave the San Francisco 49ers all they could handle in the divisional round.

A lot of attention is on the offensive side of the ball once again, but that isn’t where the team’s concerns lie. In the opinion of Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the position the Green Bay Packers should be worried about heading into training camp is cornerback.

“Eric Stokes is starting there now opposite Jaire Alexander, but the 2021 first-round pick, despite everyone singing his praises in May and June, has barely played over the last season and a half. Carrington Valentine held his own as a seventh-round rookie in 2023, but do the Packers see him as consistent starter material or just a worthy fill-in like last season? The Packers didn’t draft a cornerback, so it’ll be on one of those two to show the flashes they’ve shown in the past can happen regularly,” wrote Schneidman.

The Packers love their cornerback group despite some outside noise. Kalen King, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was the only addition made this offseason.

He has some upside, as early mock drafts heading into the 2023 season had the Penn State product as a first-round pick. His production slipped, which led to him sliding down the draft board.

With the right development, he could turn into a player. The Green Bay Packers showed they have the ability to do it, as Carrington Valentine was a seventh-rounder in 2023 and played in all 17 games, starting 12.

Availability is what will make or break this group. Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes both struggled to stay on the field because of injuries and suspension.

Alexander remains a true shutdown corner when healthy and engaged. Can Stokes regain the form he showed as a rookie? Bringing in a veteran such as Stephon Gilmore wouldn’t be the worst idea to provide a little more insurance at an important position.

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