GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have plenty of experience playing without Jaire Alexander. Now, they’ll have to do it without him for the entire season.
The Packers have finally decided to part ways with Alexander. Along with Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell, he is the fourth cornerback to not be retained by the team this offseason.
While Green Bay signed cornerback Nate Hobbs in free agency, there is kiddie-pool depth.
Without Alexander at organized team activities, the Packers lined up with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as their perimeter cornerbacks and with Hobbs in the slot. That’s a decent trio.
Even with Alexander playing a bit less than one-third of the defensive snaps and an inconsistent pass rush, the Packers finished ninth in opponent passer rating last season. While they were 25th in completion percentage, they were 11th in yards allowed per attempt. They allowed just one passing play of 40-plus yards – the long touchdown against Alexander in Week 1 against the Eagles – five fewer than any other team.
Last season, 96 cornerbacks played at least 318 coverage snaps – that’s how many Hobbs played – according to Pro Football Focus. The numbers:
- Nixon ranked 71st in opponent completion percentage at 68.3 percent but was sixth with only 8.9 yards allowed per completion. Sports Info Solutions charged Nixon with a catch rate of 60.9 percent and only 5.9 yards allowed per target.
- Valentine was a woeful 93rd with an opponent completion percentage of 79.3 percent but forced a turnover in each of the final four games of the regular season with two interceptions and two forced fumbles. SIS charged Valentine with a 63.2 percent catch rate in 2024 and only 51.1 percent as a rookie.
- Hobbs was 64th with an opponent completion percentage of 67.4 percent but was seventh with just 9.0 yards allowed per completion. SIS, on the other hand, said Hobbs allowed a catch rate of only 42.9 percent.
There are three key questions going forward.
1. Can Packers Get Key Stops Against Great Quarterbacks?
The Packers this season will face Detroit’s Jared Goff, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Washington’s Jayden Daniels. And those are just the home games.
When push comes to shove and the game is on the line, can the Packers stop a fourth-and-6 pass from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase? From Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown? From J.J. McCarthy to Justin Jefferson? From Daniels to Terry McLaurin? From Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf at Pittsburgh? From Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb at Dallas? What about Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in the playoffs or, dare it be said, Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl?
Jeff Hafley showed his strength as a defensive coordinator last season in assembling a top-10 defense with Alexander limited to just seven games but, at some point, players have to make plays.
2. Where Is the Depth?
Injuries happen in the NFL, as the Packers know all too well with Alexander. While Valentine has missed only two games in two seasons and Nixon hasn’t missed any in three seasons with the Packers, Green Bay essentially is exchanging one injury-prone cornerback for another.
Hobbs with the Raiders missed 16 games the past three seasons. Last season, he played in 11 games with a career-low seven starts and finished just a hair below 50 percent playing time.
What happens if one of the starters is out for a game or three?
There is no proven depth whatsoever. The Packers have four late-round draft choices on the roster with Gregory Junior (sixth round, 2022), Kamal Hadden (sixth round, 2024), Kalen King (seventh round, 2024) and Micah Robinson (seventh round, 2025).
Junior (111 snaps in 10 career games, with zero in 2024), Isaiah Dunn (114 snaps, all as an undrafted rookie in 2021), Hadden (zero snaps in two games), King (zero games) and undrafted rookies Johnathan Baldwin and Tyron Herring have combined to play 225 regular-season snaps on defense. None of those snaps were from last season.
3. Who Can Help in Free Agency?
With that as a backdrop and with an empty roster spot and a lot of additional cap space, could the Packers take another dip into free agency?. The free-agent market has been picked over – Alexander is by far the best available player – but there is some talent. Here are six veteran options in free agency, with stats from Sports Info Solutions.
- Asante Samuel Jr., a second-round pick in 2021 who started 47 games and intercepted six passes during his first four seasons, was the best available until Alexander was thrown into the pond. A shoulder injury that limited him to four games last season is why he remains unsigned.
- Rasul Douglas, who the Packers traded to the Bills in 2023, will turn 30 late in training camp and allowed a career-worst 69.0 percent completion rate with zero interceptions last season.
- Stephon Gilmore, who will turn 35 early this season, allowed a 55.0 percent catch rate with one interception in 15 games with the Vikings last season. Unless he returns to Minnesota, he’ll be with his sixth team in six seasons.
- Kendall Fuller, who’s 30, spent four seasons with Washington before playing 11 games for the Dolphins last season. He allowed a 61.8 percent catch rate but just one touchdown last year.
- Shaquill Griffin, who will turn 30 next month, allowed just a 48.0 percent catch rate in 17 games (three starts) with the Vikings last season.
- Jack Jones, a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 who is only 27, started 16 games for the Raiders last season. It was feast or famine with 16 passes defensed and back-to-back weeks with a pick-six (feast) but eight touchdowns allowed (famine).
- A final option would be a potential trade for Jalen Ramsey. The 30-year-old’s four-year Pro Bowl streak ended last season, when he started 17 games with two interceptions and 11 passes defensed. He was sensational in 2023 (42.9 percent, 4.9 yards per target) and solid in 2024 (54.2 percent).
Here's the financial impact of the #Packers' decision to release Jaire Alexander.https://t.co/FQ0bfnYQZW
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 9, 2025