The Green Bay Packers rolled the dice when they moved on from Jaire Alexander, especially after failing to upgrade the position during the offseason.
It's only the start of training camp, but Alexander is already making an impact with the Baltimore Ravens.
"Nice first practice for CB Jaire Alexander. He had two pass breakups and enjoyed celebrating both of them," writes Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. "DeAndre Hopkins made a nifty back shoulder catch on Alexander despite good coverage (ref may have ruled him out). Alexander bowed toward Hopkins to express his respect."
That sounds like vintage Jaire. When he's healthy and at his best, Alexander is among the best cornerbacks in the league. The Packers know that.
Even last season, when injuries limited Alexander to only seven games, he still played at an All-Pro level when healthy. According to Pro Football Reference, quarterbacks throwing his way only completed 56.7 percent of their passes for 231 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Alexander also made seven pass defenses.
Jaire Alexander sends Packers a clear reminder of how much they will miss him
Alexander's availability and soaring contract became a concern for the Packers, and when unable to negotiate a revised deal, they moved on. That's not the biggest problem.
The lack of urgency to add to the room is what hurts. Either keep Alexander or make a big move to replace him.
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Nate Hobbs is the only notable addition to the cornerback room, but one player can't fix the depth lost with Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Corey Ballentine departing. Hobbs has also struggled to stay healthy, missing six games last season, four in 2023, and another six in 2022. Over the past three years, Hobbs has played just 35 of a possible 51 regular-season contests.
Green Bay needs Hobbs to stay healthy, along with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.
Second-year Javon Bullard is an option to step into slot duties, should the Packers suffer an injury, but there is a concerning lack of depth on the outside.
Alexander is a game-changer. When healthy, of course. But the Packers moved on and didn't do enough to replace him, and the All-Pro cornerback is already showing why that might be a big mistake.