One of the greatest spectacles of this year’s Super Bowl was watching the Seattle Seahawks’ and New England Patriots’ defenses flying around, taking chances, and being aggressive. One of the primary reasons they were able to do that is the trust both teams have in the back end at cornerback.
Entering the offseason, it’s clear that the Green Bay Packers need to add to their cornerback room. But the Packers don’t just need depth; they need top-tier talent.
Devon Witherspoon is the shut-down cornerback coaches dream of having. While Pro Football Focus isn’t gospel, they graded Witherspoon as the top corner in the NFL this year. In Sunday’s Super Bowl victory over New England, Seattle was able to bring relentless pressure on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye time and again because they knew they had Witherspoon to lean on in the secondary.
New England is in a similar situation with Christian Gonzalez, who has blossomed into one of the premier cornerbacks in the league. Having a Witherspoon or Gonzalez allows a defense to take more calculated risks. If the pressure dialed up doesn’t get home, they believe in their No. 1 CB will step up and bail them out. Gonzalez made three plays in one-on-one coverage that denied Seattle three touchdown opportunities on Sunday. While his impressive effort wasn’t enough for the win, it showed the importance of having premier talent at the position.
There are multiple ways to win. Not all championship paths are the same. The Packers relied heavily on their defensive front to alleviate pressure on their cornerbacks this year. It worked, for the most part, until Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending injury in Denver. Then, with less pressure on the opposing quarterback from that point on, the cracks in the cornerback room became readily apparent.
To be fair, putting Keisean Nixon in the No. 1 corner role felt unfair from the rip. Nixon has been fine at corner on the outside and in the slot. However, at no point has he ever looked the part of a No. 1 cornerback, despite his own thoughts on the matter.
General manager Brian Gutekunst and the rest of the powers that be rolled into 2025 with that assumption. Half a year later, and it’s clear the Packers need a fresh look at the top of the depth chart. But what’s puzzling is that, in a press conference after his extension became official, Gutekunst sounded unfazed when asked about the struggling cornerback group.
We had some injuries there. Hobbs missed most of the season, never really got going. I thought Carrington (Valentine) stepped in and did a great job, he’s a young player that’s still getting better. Keisean (Nixon) had a very, very good year, he was in the top three in PBUs and did some really good things. So, do we need wholesale changes? No, I do think it’s an area though that those guys can get hurt, they’re the smaller guys on the field, we ask a lot of those guys in run support, so depth there for me is important that we have answers.
Not every team can have a Witherspoon or Gonzalez. However, every team can take steps to improve a position that needs a boost when the offseason arrives. The rub is that Green Bay likely won’t have much cap space to work with, nor will it have a first-round pick after the Parsons trade.
Keeping Nixon, Valentine, and Hobbs for 2026 is fine. What isn’t fine is Gutekunst and the Packers rolling into next season with those three at the top of the depth chart. It clearly wasn’t enough in the big spots in 2025. How can Green Bay just opt to run that back amidst championship aspirations?
Just because Gutekunst says they don’t need wholesale changes at the position doesn’t mean the Packers won’t invest an early draft pick at the position. It’d be wise to do so if nothing comes through in free agency. Gutekunst clearly thought the room needed a jolt after last season and chose to fork over a lucrative deal to Hobbs. That backfired, but now isn’t the time to hunker down and hope. Gutekunst has to take another swing.
Since 2022, the Packers have drafted three cornerbacks. All three, in Micah Robinson (2025), Kalen King (2024), and Carrington Valentine (2023), were seventh-round selections. There needs to be more of an investment this time around.
The Packers need depth at cornerback. That’s not a knock on anyone currently in that room, but Nixon looks a hell of a lot better as a CB2 than a No. 1. Hobbs probably looks a hell of a lot better in the slot instead of being forced to the boundary. Taking a flier on another prospect in the seventh round isn’t going to pack the punch the Packers need. They need to add depth at cornerback this offseason and ensure it’s top-tier to elevate the entire group.