Cornerback Kamal Hadden continues to impress since returning from the ankle injury he suffered last December, which held him out of OTAs and the early portion of training camp. Lately, he has seen first-team reps in the slot with Javon Bullard, the Green Bay Packers' starter there, nursing a foot injury.
Almost exclusively a boundary corner, Hadden has stood out despite the unfamiliar role. Instead of succumbing to his setback, he has made the most of the challenge. He looked like a natural intercepting a Jordan Love pass over the middle in Wednesday's practice.
Making himself useful as a potential backup nickel would improve Hadden's odds of making the roster in a crowded, if still undefined, cornerback room.
Kamal Hadden presenting Packers with potentially excruciating choice
Hadden is still up against it from a roster-math perspective. Carrington Valentine and Domani Jackson have returned from injuries, giving the Packers five healthy corners presumably ahead of Hadden on the depth chart: Valentine and Jackson plus Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, and Keisean Nixon.
It's difficult to envision the Packers giving him the nod over Jackson, a promising rookie draft pick, or anyone else in that bunch (and to address a hot topic: even if Nixon loses his starting job, he'll still contribute).
But if Hadden keeps balling out and shows versatility on top of that, it will be hard to leave him off the roster.
He's definitely caught the eye of head coach Matt LaFleur, who admires Hadden's inclination to "throw his face in the fire" and his willing physicality against the run. "That's what you need at that position," LaFleur said Wednesday.
That quality has been a reiterated point of emphasis for LaFleur and the Packers.
As a slot DB, Hadden has replaced safety Kitan Oladapo, who struggled there and was exposed in last week's preseason game against Pittsburgh. Hadden sat out that game for precautionary reasons, but he should get a chance to strut his stuff against the Denver Broncos on Friday. It will be an opportunity to strengthen his case.
There's that roster math again, though. Carrying six corners is not ideal for the Packers' roster construction. That would mean trimming down another position. With the argument for rostering seven receivers gathering steam by the day, it could prove challenging.
Sneaking in as an injury replacement would be Hadden's surest path, but that doesn't seem as likely now. Valentine and Jackson are back. The Packers expect Bullard to be ready to go by Week 1.
Long story short, Hadden may still have some convincing to do, but he's at least giving the team an agonizing decision to think about.
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