The Green Bay Packers' cornerback room enters a summer of uncertainty. Nobody will feel that more than Carrington Valentine.
Love it or hate it, Keisean Nixon feels about as close to a lock in the starting lineup as anyone, and there's even speculation about whether he'll hold out for a new deal. That puts Valentine under pressure from newcomers Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste.
For Valentine, though, it's also an opportunity. Rather than fighting to save his spot in the starting lineup, this summer gives him a chance to prove why he's the Packers' top cornerback. And it's far from a foregone conclusion that one of the incoming players will replace him in the lineup.
Carrington Valentine enters training camp with everything to prove
Valentine has made 30 starts across three seasons and shown plenty of promise. The consistency just hasn't been there, and he's also been on the receiving end of some disastrous moments.
Whether it's getting stiff-armed for 20 yards by Dallas Goedert while he bulldozed his way into the end zone, or allowing a perfect passer rating to Dak Prescott, when it gets bad for Valentine, it gets really bad.
But the pendulum has swung too far the other way, where many now view him as unplayable. That's not true.
Valentine must get stronger, as tackling has remained an issue last season. Per Pro Football Focus, his awful missed tackle rate of 21.3 percent was the worst among the Packers' starters. And while allowing six touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.9 proves how difficult last season was, Valentine has shown a much higher level he can reach.
In 2024, he gave up zero touchdowns in coverage and picked off two passes, with quarterbacks earning an 82.8 passer rating throwing his way (per PFF). The 2023 seventh-round pick also forced two fumbles.
Valentine also made a fast start to last season, which is why the Packers kept him in the lineup ahead of free-agency addition Nate Hobbs. Valentine dominated in Green Bay's big win over the Washington Commanders in Week 2, allowing just one catch on four targets for seven yards, good for an awful 39.6 passer rating.
The moments of promise are there, but it's the lack of consistency mixed in with some truly nightmarish moments that have put his starting job in jeopardy.
Carrington Valentine still has a clear path to a starting job in 2026
The arrival of second-round pick Cisse undoubtedly puts Valentine under pressure, but there is still a clear pathway to a starting job.
Cisse is an exciting prospect with the potential to give the Packers an upgrade at cornerback, but only time will tell whether he's ready to start in his rookie season. Free-agent addition St-Juste is coming off an impressive season with the Los Angeles Chargers, but he was a backup and only started two games. That could give the Packers caution about having St-Juste play a featured role.
What about Nixon? He is presumably Green Bay's top choice at cornerback, but it's possible Valentine could outperform him at training camp. Then what?
The Packers handed Nate Hobbs $48 million in free agency last year, only for Valentine to outplay him and overtake him on the depth chart.
Brian Gutekunst has added competition at cornerback. The Packers badly needed it. Valentine's performances last season weren't consistently as bad as many remember, but there were far too many concerning moments.
Valentine enters training camp with his starting job firmly on the line, but he also has a huge opportunity to prove why he deserves to be the Packers' CB1.
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