Training camp made one thing obvious: rookie Brandon Cisse deserved a starting job in the Green Bay Packers' cornerback room. Keisean Nixon seemed like a safe bet for the other spot after bouncing back from a disastrous start to the summer.
How the defense would divvy up playing time, however, depending on the play call or personnel matchup, was another question entirely.
Not for long. The Packers made clear against the Vikings what the pecking order looks like. Cisse and Nixon are the every-down starters. Carrington Valentine, who made 11 starts last season, only came in when Cisse left the game with cramping.
Benjamin St-Juste, an under-the-radar offseason signing, played one snap outside of special teams. Kamal Hadden, whose standout camp earned him the backup slot corner role, played special teams only, while starting slot corner/nickelback Javon Bullard took all available reps.
If that's any indication, the cornerback rotation may be more cut-and-dried than many Packers fans anticipated.
Packers have established a clear vision of the CB depth chart
In particular, it was worth wondering what role Valentine would play after holding down a starting job for most of last year. He profiled as a potential challenger for the CB2 role, and some speculated that, early in the season, the Packers might even give him the nod over Cisse to let the rookie ease into his NFL career.
Nope. Valentine's place appears clearly defined as the next man up behind the starters, but not necessarily as a weekly contributor in the rotation. The Packers weren't swapping him in and out in Week 1. Cisse's injury is the only reason he came in.
That could always change, of course, but for now, the team seems to view Valentine as a replacement rather than a rotational regular. Cisse and Nixon have established themselves a cut above the rest.
St-Juste's limited action wasn't surprising, per se, but it was rather telling. Despite some cautious excitement over his potential impact as a physical, big-bodied corner, he wasn't particularly impressive toward the end of camp and right now seems to be primarily a special-teams piece.
Compare that to early this summer when he seemed like a dark-horse candidate to push for a starting spot. Instead, Valentine remains easily ahead of him in the depth hierarchy.
As for Hadden, the Packers used him in much the same capacity as last season, as a coverage unit contributor on special teams. That's simply a footnote. There's only so much playing time available for a No. 5 corner. Just knowing he's available if needed is a good feeling for Packers fans after watching him ball out in the preseason.
The main takeaway: the coaching staff is confident in Cisse and Nixon as the starting duo, with Valentine laying clear claim to the CB3 spot over St-Juste. Both starters handled their duties well in Week 1. Nixon came down with Green Bay's only takeaway on Kyler Murray's first pass of the game.
How the room evolves will be something to track as the season wears on, but the Packers have established a firm basis from which any changes will be made.
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