Photo Credit: Tork Mason via Imagn Images
Once considered a first-round talent, cornerback Kalen King fell to the seventh round in 2024 before the Green Bay Packers scooped him up. After spending most of his rookie season on the practice squad, King has a chance to make headway and have a tangible impact on Jeff Hafley’s defense in 2025.
The year before the Packers selected King, they took another cornerback in the final round: Kentucky’s Carrington Valentine. The Packers called Valentine’s number after a slew of injuries, primarily to Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, hit home in 2023. And he delivered.
Green Bay doesn’t care what round a player is selected, or whether they were even drafted at all. If a player’s talent is present and his head is screwed on straight, the Packers will award an opportunity to the most deserving candidate. Valentine pounced on his opportunity and has become a strong depth player in the secondary.
It could be King’s turn this year. After a stellar 2022 season at Penn State, King took a step backward in 2023 and followed it up with not-so-great showings at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. Some scouts mentioned that King looked unprepared.
As a rookie, King was able to gather his thoughts and develop. That semi-redshirt season in 2024 could pay wonders moving forward.
Green Bay’s defensive passing-game coordinator, Derrick Ansley, has already raved about what he’s seen from King this offseason.
I don’t want to speak to soon — knock on wood — but he’s looking really, really good out there. He’s playing inside and out. (It’s) kind of like the light has gone off for him and he looks more springy in his step.
If the lightbulb above King’s head has started even to flicker, watch out.
The situation is complex. If Alexander is back in the fold in 2025, Green Bay will have a crowded cornerback room. Alexander would hold down the top spot on the depth chart while Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs battle it out for the second outside spot and the slot. Valentine would be next in the pecking order.
It sounds a little crowded to wedge King into the frame. However, the Packers lost Stokes and Corey Ballentine in the offseason, and history suggests that it’s doubtful Alexander will last a full 17-game season. Like Valentine in 2023, an opportunity could arise this year if King can keep grinding.
Ansley is seeing a completely different cornerback in the offseason programs.
He’s changed his body. His mind is at ease, and he’s just jumped into this thing full speed ahead. He’s been very impressive, and we’ve just got to continue to get that kind of day-to-day performance out of him.
King could have let the reality check of going from a projected first-rounder to being selected in the seventh round derail him. Instead, he checked his ego at the door, which is easier said than done. He’s said all the right things so far this offseason, including the following:
While I was on the practice squad, I was just doing everything I could to make sure I don’t go through another season like that again. So that’s really my main priority right now. Being on the practice squad allowed me to play on the scout team and get reps against the No. 1 guys, the No. 1 offense. I feel like that only made me better. I got to line up across from NFL starters for a season straight.
King has the talent, and he’s regaining his confidence. There won’t be pressure on him to play a significant role on Halfley’s defense, which can help him clear his mind and play a looser style of football when his number is called.
Of course, he has to make the 53-man roster first. That won’t be a given with three spots locked up, four if Alexander returns. And don’t forget that Green Bay used another seventh-round pick in this April’s draft on Tulane cornerback Micah Robinson.
If King clears that first hurdle, he must take the same approach as Valentine.
Keep chipping away until you get your shot.
Green Bay clearly sees something in King, as evidenced by Ansley’s rave reviews. And his pre-draft history suggests that King definitely has the talent to back it up. Keep him in mind as a player who could have a sneaky-big impact on this defense.
Reunions aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
On the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams last week, former Green Bay Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis hinted at wanting a reunion. Considering Green Bay’s current situation, it just wouldn’t make sense.
Lewis spent five years with the Packers before spending the last two with the Chicago Bears. Throughout his five seasons with Green Bay, Lewis was as durable as it gets at tight end and essentially served as an extra offensive lineman when he was on the field. Teammates always spoke glowingly of his leadership and veteran presence.
The Packers chose to pivot in 2022 and go young across the board, and Lewis left for the Chicago Bears. “That last year when I was in Green Bay, they were close to bringing me back for another year before I signed with Chicago,” he told Adams. “But the direction they were going was going to be young.”
The youth movement Lewis references is still in full swing. The Packers have boasted the youngest roster in the NFL two years in a row. Lewis is 41 and says he plans on only playing one more season. However, barring an injury to a current Packers tight end, a reunion isn’t in the cards.
Green Bay has Tucker Kraft as its undisputed No. 1 tight end. After that, the Packers need to see what they have in Luke Musgrave. Ben Sims is also back in the fold after playing 21% of the snaps on offense in 2025 when Musgrave’s season was cut short. John FitzPatrick is behind Sims, who appeared in nine games for Green Bay a season ago.
Lewis wouldn’t chew up a ton of the snaps, but the Packers seem pretty set at tight end. One would imagine they’d prefer to use the roster spot elsewhere.
On top of all that, general manager Brian Gutekunst has shown little to no interest in bringing in free agents who are 30 years of age or older. In what world would a 41-year-old Lewis make sense? Why would he be the exception to the unwritten rule Gutekunst has established?
If the Packers thought they were a Marcedes Lewis away from getting over the hump for a championship, by all means make the move. That isn’t the reality of the situation, though.
Lewis mentioned that he believed his time in Green Bay ended too soon. While there’s a valid case for that, it doesn’t mean signing him three years later is the play.
It’s just one of those things I feel like it ended a little too soon in Green Bay. Obviously guys were leaving. A-Rod (Aaron Rodgers) left, Cobby (Randall Cobb), it was just guys leaving from that team. My boy Davante (Adams) went to Vegas. So it was just a lot going on.
Green Bay has good depth and an emerging star in Kraft. Again, that can all change with an injury, and health issues have derailed the first two years of Musgrave’s career. Unless that pops up again, don’t expect to see Lewis back in green and gold, despite his relationship with head coach Matt LaFleur.
”Matt is one of my best friends now,” Lewis told Adams. “He FaceTimed me last week, and we were kind of talking about it. It’s really out of his hands.”
Lewis was outstanding in his five years with the Packers. He played a complementary role on the field and did it very well. He was a calming presence on the team and a vocal leader when they needed one. Nobody is shortchanging his contributions in Green Bay from 2018 to 2022.
Still, the business side of the NFL can be harsh, and Lewis knows that:
I understand the business side of it. If you can compartmentalize what you do well and understand this game is still a business and it’s not necessarily personal, you’ll always get the best out of yourself. I’ve been able to understand that since I’ve been in Jacksonville.
Green Bay entered this offseason with a question mark atop the depth chart at wide receiver. Many clamored for the front office to make a run at a reunion with Davante Adams. It never happened. Reports indicated the Packers never even picked up the phone to call Adams.
If they didn’t pursue Adams, it’s hard to imagine them seeking out Lewis.
The Packers appear locked in at tight end. That can always change. Regardless, a Green Bay reunion seems far-fetched.
Photo credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Versatility is often the name of the game in Green Bay. If you’re a prospect and you can wear multiple hats, you’re likely on the Packers’ radar.
That’s especially true with how the Packers go about drafting offensive linemen.
Green Bay has three offensive linemen from the 2022 class entering the final year of their rookie deals. Therefore, the Packers could be more inclined than you think to work out an extension with Sean Rhyan.
When the Packers drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round in 2024, it immediately set the long-term plans for the Arizona product into motion. Before injuries ended his first year as a pro, Morgan was shuffling in at right guard to spell Rhyan early in the season.
It wasn’t because Rhyan was struggling. Instead, it spoke to Green Bay’s desire to find a way to get their rookie first-round pick on the field.
When Green Bay selected Anthony Belton in the second round this April, it set off alarms about Rhyan and Rasheed Walker‘s future. Nobody selects offensive linemen in the first and second rounds with the idea that they will be depth pieces.
The writing appears to be on the wall. The Packers could let Rhyan play out this year and walk in free agency, then plug in Morgan and Belton either this year or in 2026.
Rhyan has a card up his sleeve, though. He started 31 games at left tackle in three years at UCLA.
Rhyan has primarily slotted in at right guard with the Packers but can also play center. In the first couple of sessions of organized team activities (OTAs), with center Elgton Jenkins sitting out while awaiting clarification on a potential new deal, Rhyan slid over to center and shared the role with Jacob Monk.
Green Bay had Rhyan work with the No. 1 offense at right guard and center during OTAs, and with no imminent end in sight for Jenkins and his contract negotiations, Rhyan should get even more reps at center.
Of course, Green Bay would like to find common ground and a resolution with Jenkins. However, with Rhyan’s ability to shuffle around and hold his own, why not entertain extension talks?
Belton is the newest attraction, selected in the second round in April. Morgan, a first-rounder in 2024 who saw limited time, serves a similar function.
Rhyan is entering his fourth year and is the same age as Belton, who is just a rookie. That bodes well for Rhyan sticking around Green Bay. His ability to play tackle, guard, and center hammers it home.
Green Bay has a lot to sort out regarding players entering the final year of their deals. Notable players like Romeo Doubs, Kingsley Enagbare, Zach Tom, Quay Walker, Rasheed Walker, and Christian Watson are also in the final year of their rookie contracts. That’s a lot of production the Packers have to sift through to figure out who they will prioritize when it comes to hashing out extensions.
Tom seemed like the foregone conclusion to be the top priority of the group. However, after the Packers announced there would be competition for Tom to keep his right tackle gig, that seems less certain, although it’s hard to imagine the Packers letting Tom hit free agency next year.
The selections of Morgan and Belton — and where they were taken in the draft — shows the Packers are comfortable giving both every opportunity to win a starting spot in the next two years, while also accepting that this could be the final year in Green Bay for Rhyan and Walker.
For a team that preaches the importance of versatility, how does Rhyan not get more love?
Jenkins will be 30 in December, has two years left on his deal, and has already received all the guaranteed money. He has been phenomenal for the Packers, and general manager Brian Gutekunst even said this offseason that Jenkins has All-Pro potential at center. But given that the Packers are historically opposed to signing new contracts for players 30 and older, Jenkins’ future with the team is not guaranteed.
So why not work out something with Rhyan?
Rhyan would provide stability and the ability to move around the offensive line. Monk hasn’t shown whether he can make a significant impact. Therefore, getting an extension done with Rhyan makes sense despite a crowded offensive line room, given the past couple of drafts and what the Packers shoveled over to Aaron Banks in free agency.
Green Bay let Josh Myers go in free agency this year. Myers was a center who only played center, and the Packers executed a plan that they hoped would see Jenkins slide over to center with Banks slotting in at left guard.
Rhyan isn’t a right guard who only plays right guard. He’s a Swiss Army knife who played exclusively at left tackle in college and has played mostly at right guard for the Packers, with the ability to slide into center. That should be music to Green Bay’s ears.
What the Packers have done in the draft the last two years has sent a message that they want Morgan and Belton as long-term answers up front. That has left Rhyan and Walker in purgatory entering this year.
Don’t write off Rhyan’s departure as a foregone conclusion, though. His versatility matters, and it could make Green Bay more inclined to work out an extension with him.