The Green Bay Packers’ secondary has struggled since Jaire Alexander re-aggravated his PCL injury in Chicago.
Over the past two weeks, Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff combined for 648 passing yards and five touchdowns. Backup journeyman Brandon Allen also nearly hit 200 passing yards in Week 12.
With Alexander sidelined, Eric Stokes and Keisean Nixon have been starting on the outside, but neither has come close to matching Alexander’s level of play.
Nixon has played 484 coverage snaps and allowed 66.7% of his targets to be caught, giving up 358 yards and five touchdowns, which ranks as the third-most among all cornerbacks. Opposing quarterbacks have a 103.3 passer rating when targeting him, the 19th-highest among 84 cornerbacks with at least 250 coverage snaps.
Stokes had a promising rookie season in 2021, but a Lisfranc injury and torn meniscus in 2022 derailed his progress. Since then, he has struggled to stay healthy, and his speed, once his greatest asset, is no longer the same, which is unfortunate. His 53.3 coverage grade over 295 snaps ranks as the 18th-lowest among 108 cornerbacks with at least 150 coverage snaps. However, in his fourth season, Stokes has yet to record an interception or a pass breakup.
The state of Green Bay’s secondary is worsening. Evan Williams suffered a concussion during Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Lions. Additionally, Javon Bullard was seen in the locker room wearing a boot on his foot and using crutches after the game.
There’s a slim chance the Packers could be without Alexander and Williams against the Seattle Seahawks. Regardless, Stokes and Nixon have not been effective at cornerback, and Green Bay needs to give Carrington Valentine an opportunity.
As a rookie, Valentine allowed just one touchdown while recording five pass breakups and six forced incompletions. His 84.1 passer rating allowed was the eighth-lowest among 28 cornerbacks from his class with at least 50 coverage snaps.
Valentine has been targeted 89 times in two seasons, allowing 52 completions for a 58.4% completion rate. He has given up 648 yards, averaging 7.28 yards per attempt, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Valentine has recorded 11 pass breakups and holds an 84.9 passer rating when targeted. For comparison, Nixon’s career passer rating allowed is 107.4, while Stokes’ is 101.6. Furthermore, among the 87 outside cornerbacks with as many coverage snaps as Valentine this season, he has allowed the second-fewest yards per coverage snaps.
Among NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 coverage snaps, Valentine allows a reception once every 14.7 snaps, ranking 20th out of 108. Nixon follows at 12.6 snaps per reception, ranking 38th, while Stokes allows a reception every 9.7 snaps, placing 77th in yards per coverage snap.
Valentine has logged the fourth-most coverage snaps in Green Bay’s cornerback room. Two weeks ago, he reflected on missing playing time in training camp and overcoming his past injury. “I wouldn’t say it was a struggle,” Valentine said, “but definitely trials and tribulations, you know. It just comes with the sport.”
A reporter later asked Valentine about his 2023 rookie season, when he was an established starter, and whether he felt he could return to that level this year.
“Yeah. I feel like it never left,” Valentine said. “You have some injuries, like I said, it comes with the sport, but just going out there and feeling it out, getting comfortable. The confidence for me never left, no matter where the injury was.”
Valentine’s ceiling is still undetermined, but the Packers need to find out what they have in him. Eric Stokes is unfortunately trending toward “bust” status, while Keisean Nixon delivers only occasional flashes of average play. Since the start of 2023, Valentine has been the best cornerback of the three. If he is fully healthy, there is no reason for him to remain on the sidelines.
