Green Bay Packers cornerback, Keisean Nixon, running onto the field prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals.
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Green Bay Packers cornerback, Keisean Nixon, running onto the field prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals.
pThe Green Bay Packers have had a lot of noise around them being potential buyers ahead of the NFL trade deadline early next month.
Rumors have come concerning a number of different positions on both offense and defense, including running back and defensive tackle – both units of which could use a slight upgrade if the the Packers want to optimize their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
Perhaps instead (or even in addition) Green Bay may look to attack the secondary. As such, Vinnie Iyer from The Sporting News has suggested that the “best trade deadline deal” the Packers could make over the next couple of weeks would be to trade for the Seattle Seahawks‘ Pro Bowl cornerback, Riq Woolen.
Keisean Nixon and offseason free agent addition, Nate Hobbs, have had a good season so far guarding the perimeter, but the depth behind the pair is limited. Carrington Valentine is competent as a backup, yet the other boundary depth option, Bo Melton, has not played a snap at cornerback in his entire professional career.
“The Packers’ pass rush has Parsons disrupting everything but they are vulnerable on the back end with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.” Iyer wrote. “The Seahawks need to move the corner with contract issues and he would be a good upgrade in Green Bay’s system under Jeff Hafley.”
Packers Urged To Buy Low On Talented NFC West Corner
Riq Woolen is on the trade block, or at least is a strong candidate to be moved, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Whilst Woolen has a great historical pedigree in the league, including his outstanding rookie season in 2022 that garnered him Pro Bowl honors, and looked to earmark him as a star of the future for the Seahawks, his play has deteriorated this past season.
This year, the former fifth round draft pick has just a 48.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, putting him 101st out of 112 qualifying cornerbacks.
Although he continues to play the majority of snaps on defense, playing at least 90% of snaps in five of his six appearances this year, the quality has not been there, so it seems like the time could be ripe for a change of scenery for the gifted 26 year old.
Packers Need More Experience At Cornerback Moving Forward
Woolen has not forgotten how to play football, two years into the league. But with the numerous coaching changes and scheme shifts that have occurred on defense since his arrival into the league three and a half years ago, his play could benefit by moving elsewhere.
And the Packers have found a way to nurture talent across the board. One need look no further than watch what the team did with undrafted returner, Nixon, who now fills Green Bay’s CB1 slot.
For a day three pick in 2026, the Packers could do much worse than take a flyer on a proven corner with a few months left on his deal, playing for a big new deal come next March.