In his first two years in the NFL, Carrington Valentine‘s role largely consisted of waiting on standby in case Jaire Alexander missed time. And because of Alexander’s notoriously bad luck with injuries, Valentine logged 19 starts in the past two seasons despite not knowing exactly when the Green Bay Packers would call his number.
Now Alexander is off to Baltimore, and the Packers have a trio of cornerbacks they are putting a lot of faith in. That group includes Valentine. Will a more defined role unlock levels to his game?
Valentine was different from many seventh-round picks in that the Packers called upon him to be a starter early in his career. Most players selected as late as Valentine are just scratching for a 53-man roster spot, followed by a transition period of learning and developing while not seeing the field much.
Injuries at cornerback accelerated Valentine’s maturation process, and he was able to prove his worth with those opportunities.
Despite a solid rookie season — especially for someone in his spot, given he didn’t know when he would be in the lineup — Valentine served a similar role last year.
Valentine played just nine snaps in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. That was significantly less than Jaire Alexander (76 snaps), Eric Stokes (67), and Keisean Nixon (52).
However, those numbers flipped by the end of the season. Valentine played 100% of the defensive snaps in each of the last three games, including the playoffs, and never played fewer than 91% in the last five weeks. Starting this season with a clearly defined role may help Valentine reach a whole new level.
Whether or not he starts on the boundary remains to be seen. Nixon and new addition Nate Hobbs have both played plenty of slot in their careers. Still, Green Bay could opt to start both on the outside, leaving Valentine in a reserve role, albeit a significant one.
Valentine hasn’t played the slot and doesn’t offer that level of versatility. While Nixon and Hobbs could start on the outside, it’s also just as plausible for the Packers to put Valentine as a starter on the outside and one of Nixon or Hobbs in the slot.
Regardless of how it shakes out by the end of training camp and the preseason, Valentine will have a much more defined role in Year 3 compared to his first two seasons. Not having to worry about a week-to-week guessing game, depending on how the injury report looks, will put Valentine on solid footing.
Most importantly, there won’t be a question of “if” Valentine will see playing time. Green Bay’s corner room is top-heavy with the trio of Valentine, Hobbs, and Nixon. After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to how many other cornerbacks will make the final roster and who that will be.
The coaching staff has spoken glowingly of Valentine this offseason. Packers passing-game coordinator Derrick Ansley had this to say:
CV, he’s one of my favorites. He plays the game the right way. He’s smart. He works at it, it means a lot to him, and the next step is just to make routine plays look like routine plays. He’s very strong at the point of attack. He’s got good speed. He’s tough. Just making those routine plays down in and down out, I think he can take a big jump this year, as well.
Those routine plays that need to be routine can become routine with a more defined role on the defense. Valentine will have just that in 2025. Per Matt LaFleur:
He’s been extremely coachable, high character guy. Busts his butt every day, has approached it the right way. So I’m excited for him. I think he continues to prove that the more he plays, the better he gets. So I’m excited for him.
Valentine has climbed the ladder in his first two years as a former seventh-round pick. He’s waited patiently for his shot. In 2023 and 2024, those opportunities came on an unpredictable basis, with Alexander constantly on and off the injury report.
In 2025, Valentine won’t just be just another backup waiting for a chance. He’ll be a regular component of defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s plans, whether that be as a true starter or not. More certainty and clarity can take his game to new levels.