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Rasul Douglas trade is finding new ways to haunt the Packers in 2024

The Packers shouldn't have made this deal.
Freddie Boston
Freddie Boston

Lombardi Ave

Jacksonville Jaguars v Buffalo Bills / Bryan Bennett/GettyImages

As Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison shredded the Green Bay Packers' secondary in Week 4, one thing became pretty clear.

The Packers could've done with Rasul Douglas.

It has been almost a year since Green Bay surprisingly sent Douglas to the Buffalo Bills along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for a third-rounder. The Packers were 2-5, Jordan Love was struggling, and all hope for the season seemed lost.

Little did the Packers know, they would end up needing him as they embarked on a playoff journey later in the season.

Fast forward a year, and the decision to trade Douglas keeps getting worse.

Full details of Rasul Douglas trade reveal just how bad it was for Packers

When breaking down the details of the trade, it's easy to see how disastrous it already looks for the Packers.

Packers received

  • LB Ty'Ron Hopper

Bills received

  • CB Rasul Douglas
  • LB Edefuan Ulofoshio

Ty'Ron Hopper may become a quality player for the Packers, but he can't get on the field. He has played zero defensive snaps so far this season and is limited to a special teams role.

Since arriving in Buffalo, Douglas has continued to prove why he is an excellent cornerback. In 13 games, he has intercepted four passes with one pick-six, defended nine passes, forced one fumble, and recovered two. He is a playmaker.

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Jaire Alexander, Carrington Valentine, and Eric Stokes give the Packers a solid cornerback trio, but they are limited beyond their top three. Alexander and Stokes have struggled to stay healthy in recent years. Alexander and Valentine missed the Week 4 loss to Minnesota, leaving the secondary thin at a key position.

And the Vikings made them pay, scoring 28 points on their opening five possessions. Green Bay struggled to contain Jefferson and Addison early on, who totaled 157 yards and found the end zone twice.

Even while the Packers were losing games and seemingly going nowhere before last year's trade deadline, moving on from Douglas made little sense. Not only was he a star on the field, but he was a vocal leader in the locker room.

Green Bay effectively traded Douglas for Hopper while also losing a starting cornerback for the second half of last season. So far, the decision is haunting the Packers.

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Freddie Boston

Freddie Boston

Freddie Boston is a Lead Editor for FanSided and has been covering the Green Bay Packers as the site expert at Lombardi Ave since 2016. He has written over 5,000 stories on the Packers and has previously covered the NFL for FanSided.com and NFL Spin Zone. In 2015, he was named the FanSided NFL Editor of the Year. Freddie has also covered Tottenham Hotspur for Hotspur HQ and the WWE for Daily DDT. Besides reminiscing about Jordy Nelson's greatest touchdown catches, Freddie is a lifelong Tottenham fan and regularly attends games.