Cornerback Keisean Nixon had a strange season for the Green Bay Packers. He started out red-hot and made his first Pro Bowl. He sealed the Packers' Week 14 win over Chicago with a pick in the end zone.Â
Nixon also made his share of mistakes. His play suffered as the year wore on. Fans grew frustrated. Not everyone loves the fact that he is once again slated to start the year as the roster's No. 1 corner.Â
In his media session for OTAs, Nixon shared a reason to believe that this season might be different. Before last year, he played primarily in the nickel. Transitioning to a straight outside corner has altered his training regimen.Â
"Absolutely," Nixon said when asked whether the switch has affected his workouts. "I don't do as much lifting as I was when I was in the box. I do a lot more feet work and running now. I'm a big Peloton guy right now. I've been on Peloton heavy. … If I'm going to be in the box a little more, I got to be kind of heavy. Now I can be light. I feel way faster. I feel good."
Nixon tailoring his body to life as an outside corner
All that work on the Peloton is paying off. With the benefit of another offseason's preparation, Nixon has optimized his body to fit his new role. Hopefully, that leads to more consistency and fewer lapses.Â
Last season, opposing receivers were able to get the step on Nixon more often than the Packers would like. That produced nightmare scenarios like DJ Moore's walk-off Hail Mary reception, which occurred with Nixon in coverage. Two weeks after playing the hero, he was made to look the fool.
Look, it happens. It just happened a bit too frequently for Nixon as he adjusted to life as a boundary corner. Per Pro Football Reference, he allowed a 105.1 pass rating, 7.5 yards per target, and six touchdowns, all career-worst numbers from his stint in Green Bay. Nonetheless, the Packers were forced to rely on him and Carrington Valentine more than ever when it became clear that Nate Hobbs was not equipped to play outside, after all.Â
The reps helped, Nixon said, and that experience will come in handy this season. He'll have to hope so if he wants to keep his job as CB1. Behind him on the depth chart, rookie Brandon Cisse and free-agent pickup Brandon St-Juste will be waiting to take Nixon's spot if he slips.
But the seventh-year veteran, who featured more as a kick returner when he first joined the Packers, has benefited from focusing even more exclusively on becoming the best outside corner he can be.Â
"I can focus on all the techniques and how can I get better at just that position. I don't have to worry about kick returns. I don't got to worry about nickel. I'm just playing corner."Â
Packers fans will need to see it to believe it, but Nixon offered up a nugget that should induce at least some tentative optimism.
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