Here’s a question that I want to pose to Green Bay Packers fans: Does the team already have its starting cornerbacks for the 2025 season?
Last year, the plan was to play Eric Stokes opposite of Jaire Alexander with Keisean Nixon in the slot. Obviously, that didn’t work out according to plan. Not only did Stokes disappoint, leading to the Packers allowing him to walk in free agency this offseason, but Alexander dealt with a knee injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2024 campaign.
In place of those two, Nixon moved from the slot to outside cornerback opposite Carrington Valentine. Both performed above the average starting cornerback in various metrics, though, it was clear that Valentine’s strength on the perimeter, highlighted by a touchdown allowed on a screen versus the Philadelphia Eagles in the postseason, led to the team wanting more.
After the year, Nixon claimed that he was done being a returner on special teams, as his plan moving forward was to become the CB1 for the squad in 2025. In recent days, the Packers signed former New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman, who is best known for his ability as a returner.
Green Bay also signed cornerback Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million deal in free agency, which seems to answer the question as to who will start opposite of Nixon in 2025. Though Hobbs has been a starting nickel for three of his four years in the NFL, reports claim that the Packers are planning on playing Hobbs as an outside cornerback moving forward.
When we asked Green Bay fans last week, after the first wave of free agency, what the team’s biggest remaining needs were this offseason, cornerback finished just fourth in the poll.
So with all this being said, I want to ask: Are Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs going to be the Packers’ starting cornerbacks this season? With Javon Bullard seemingly locked into the nickel position, this means that Carrington Valentine — a player they were fine starting down the stretch last year — is likely the top cornerback off of the bench going into the draft. This is all assuming that the Packers eventually move off of Jaire Alexander, who according to reports the team is still hoping to trade at some point this offseason.
Poll
Are Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs going to be the Packers’ starting CBs in 2025?
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Yes
(0 votes)
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No
(0 votes)
0 votes total Vote Now
Whether you believe the position is or isn’t a priority in next month’s draft, we’d like to hear your opinion in the comment section. Personally, I believe that Nixon would have received a deal in the ballpark of Hobbs had he been a free agent this offseason. If the Packers consider one to be a starting outside cornerback, it would be a surprise if the other wasn’t. That’s my logic at least.