It was already trending that way, but rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse solidified his case as a starter in the Green Bay Packers' preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cisse played well himself, most notably leveling a timely tackle on Steelers running back Lew Nichols to prevent a touchdown. He didn't fill the box score with splash plays, but he held his ground and avoided being embarrassed.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Keisean Nixon, whose training-camp nightmare bled into the preseason with more cringeworthy miscues. Whereas Cisse did just enough to trip up Nichols in open space, Nixon's ghastly botch on a separate play allowed a big gain after the catch, with his receiver wide open to begin with.
As Nixon fights to avoid a demotion, his struggles, combined with Cisse's solid showing, have seemingly all but cemented the latter's starting case, which could quickly transition into an argument as Green Bay's CB1.
Brandon Cisse has shown the Packers everything they need while cranking up the pressure on Keisean Nixon
It would be a gross oversimplification to ink conclusions based on two plays in a preseason game, but that's not all there was. Nixon did nothing to compensate for his blunder, while Cisse held up in his coverage assignments throughout the night.
It's fair to call that pair of plays a microcosm of what Packers fans have heard all summer. While Nixon has appeared overmatched, Cisse is locked in and locking down his receiver matchups. He already looks like the best corner on the roster. Nixon is getting beat by Bo Melton in practice.
Elsewhere in the rotation, Carrington Valentine is still nursing a hamstring injury. Cisse replaced him in practice and hasn't looked back. No, Nixon and Valentine haven't looked good (to be fair, Valentine hasn't much of a chance), but for his part, the rookie second-rounder is living up to the hype.
Based on Cisse's body of work, from OTAs to camp and into the preseason, he has effectively eliminated any trace of uncertainty about his place on the depth chart. His instincts and quickness in coverage are just what the doctor ordered, and he's a perfect stylistic fit for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Meanwhile, the biggest question has become whether Benjamin St-Juste can beat out Nixon for the other starting spot. Playing into the second half versus Pittsburgh, St-Juste made a nice run-down tackle to save a score and avoided egregious mistakes.
We'll have to see how that turns out. As for Cisse, he continues to stack wins every chance he gets. While Packers fans can't say we didn't see it coming, his emergence as a clear-cut starter has crystallized a lot sooner than even many optimists foresaw.
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