It's a problem everyone else saw coming a million miles away.
Everyone except for the Green Bay Packers. It's borderline embarrassing how many golden opportunities the Packers have had to add a star player at cornerback over the past few seasons. Now that Jaire Alexander is gone, the failure to upgrade the position is more glaring than ever.
In 2023, the Packers selected Lukas Van Ness over Christian Gonzalez, a rising star and second-team All-Pro with the New England Patriots who is quickly becoming a shutdown corner.
Cooper DeJean? He earned a spot in the PFWA All-Rookie Team with the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded a pick-six in the Super Bowl. The Packers went with Jordan Morgan instead, and the Eagles quickly jumped ahead of Green Bay to select DeJean in the second round.
The Packers were in a position to trade up in that draft after Quinyon Mitchell surprisingly fell within three picks of their selection at No. 25. He joined DeJean with all-rookie honors while becoming a shutdown corner for the Super Bowl champions.
Green Bay also had a chance to draft Kamari Lassiter, a standout cornerback at Georgia who made three interceptions and allowed a passer rating of just 64.0 as a rookie with the Houston Texans.
Packers' failure to add a difference-maker at cornerback could cost them in 2025
Yes, defenses win championships, but we can drill deeper. Great pass defenses win championships. Units that can generate consistent pressure and offer nothing in the back end.
The Packers already have a pass-rush problem, and there are serious questions at cornerback, too.
A starting trio of Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine is fine. Hobbs has inside/outside versatility, Nixon looked far more comfortable after moving to the boundary, and Valentine has quietly been a solid starter.
Beyond that? Concerns.
The Packers not only lack a true standout, shutdown cornerback, but their lack of depth is even more worrying.
Hobbs has never completed a full 17-game season in the NFL and has missed 16 games over the past three years. That's almost a full regular season worth of games.
When the Packers inevitably suffer an injury or two in the secondary, they may have to turn to an inexperienced backup, like former sixth-round pick Kamal Hadden, rookie seventh-rounder Micah Robinson, or former undrafted free agent Isaiah Dunn. Hadden and Robinson have never played a snap in the NFL, while Dunn has just 114, all the way back in 2021 with the New York Jets.
Maybe the Packers will sign a free agent or two before training camp. Stephon Gilmore and Rasul Douglas are among the best cornerbacks still available.
But signing a free agent would be admitting to a problem the Packers have failed to address for multiple offseasons, and a mistake that may haunt them this season.