Perhaps the most glaring need for the Green Bay Packers this offseason was at cornerback. Even though they have two starters on the boundary in Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, both are due for free agency in 2027.
Plus, neither Nixon nor Valentine played well enough last year to go unchallenged into the new season. Hence the selection of South Carolina corner Brandon Cisse at No. 52 overall in the second round.
If anyone's job is truly at stake, though, it's Valentine's — and it goes beyond Green Bay spending its top draft pick on Cisse.
Packers CB Carrington Valentine cracks ESPN list of veterans who were put on notice during NFL Draft
ESPN's Ben Solak broke down 14 veteran players whose starting jobs are under threat before the 2026 season, and Valentine cracked the list.
Here's the most salient bulk of what Solak had to say, with a reference to free-agent acquisition Benjamin St-Juste to boot:
"The Packers are notoriously patient with rookies, and Cisse is far from a finished product. South Carolina rotated its corners, and Cisse often didn't play full games, even in his final season. But the most favored outcome in the Packers' cornerbacks room is certainly Cisse winning the job over Valentine, who surrendered a passer rating of 126.1 when targeted last season. Only five outside cornerbacks were worse. Even if Cisse doesn't win the starting job outright, I would not be surprised to see him enter a rotation with Valentine (and St-Juste). Valentine struggles more with larger receivers, and Cisse and St-Juste should match up better."
St-Juste played well for the Chargers this past season, missing just one of 30 tackle attempts and surrendering a 64.0 passer rating on 245 coverage snaps, per PFF. The 6'3", 200-pounder is indeed better equipped to handle bigger-bodied wide receivers than the 6'0", 189-pound Valentine.
As for Cisse, Solak mentioned how the Packers let rookies come along at their own pace. Cisse only turns 21 in July, so thrusting him into the starting lineup feels a little reckless, especially since it goes against how Green Bay operates.
The analysis here that the Pack could go with a CB2 rotation seems like the most logical path forward. Getting Cisse some experience will be critical for his development. St-Juste allowed pretty much half the passer rating Valentine did in 2025, so chances are, he'll get plenty of opportunities to prove himself, if not to outright win the job.
Between the two-year contract St-Juste signed and how young the highly drafted Cisse is, the writing is on the wall at this point. The Packers are, in all likelihood, going to let Valentine walk next offseason, barring some unforeseen ascent to above-average starter status with the motivation of a contract year fueling his stunning, hypothetical rise.
One potential plot twist: Nixon was at his best as a return man and as a slot corner. While the latter role is now capably filled by Javon Bullard, perhaps Nixon — who allowed a 105.2 passer rating last season and committed twelve penalties — could see his snap count cut to give St-Juste and/or Cisse more run, thus returning to, well, return man duties.
Probably not a realistic scenario, but in any case, shoot, is it possible that both Nixon and Valentine aren't Week 1 starters? Stranger things have happened in the NFL, I suppose.
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