Packers: Chandon Sullivan has made impressive start to season

Chandon Sullivan has impressed with a bigger role in the Packers defense.

When the Green Bay Packers decided not to bring back cornerback Tramon Williams in the offseason, they were putting a lot of faith in Chandon Sullivan.

So far this season, Sullivan has proven the Packers right for their decision.

According to Pro Football Reference, Sullivan has been on the field for 52 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and has played in all four games with one start. That number would be higher, but Sullivan left the game early in Week 4 due to injury.

However, when Sullivan has played, he’s made an impact for this defense. In four games, Sullivan has two pass defenses, six tackles, and an interception he returned for a touchdown.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sullivan is allowing a passer rating of 54.0 in his coverage, the lowest among the 36 players in the NFL with 60 or more coverage snaps in the slot. In other words, Sullivan has been one of the best slot corners in the league so far this season.

That’s particularly impressive given the dominance of Jaire Alexander on the outside. With many cornerbacks throwing Alexander’s way less and less, it would make sense to test the middle of the field against a relatively inexperienced slot corner who is replacing Williams. But Sullivan has stepped up and played well in a bigger role.

The good news for the Packers is that it seems Sullivan is ready to return from injury. He missed most of the Week 4 game with a concussion, but returned to practice earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

There will be some tough matchups for Sullivan and the Packers pass defense in the coming weeks, starting on Sunday against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But after four games, Sullivan has played well and showed why the Packers were willing to replace Williams.