A top-heavy cornerback group on the Green Bay Packers’ depth chart received a familiar reinforcement in the form of veteran Corey Ballentine. The Indianapolis Colts released Ballentine last week and signed with the Packers on Monday.
What does his addition mean for the cornerback group?
The biggest question that won’t receive an answer until the roster is finalized at the end of the summer is how many cornerbacks the Packers will keep. Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine are locks. After that, it gets a bit foggy.
Assuming there are two spots up for grabs, Green Bay will be giving some significant responsibilities to players with little experience. Kalen King and Micah Robinson were seventh-round selections in 2024 and 2025, and the injured Kamal Hadden was a practice squad member for the Packers a year ago. Bo Melton is also in the mix after switching from wide receiver to cornerback in the offseason.
Ballentine brings a sense of comfort for the Packers, having spent the last three seasons in Green Bay, including 37 games played with seven starts. His versatility is also a crucial part of the equation, as he has been featured in numerous special team groupings under Rich Bisaccia recently.
Adding Ballentine feels like more than just a temporary stopgap signing made due to injuries to Hobbs and Hadden. It feels like the Packers signed Ballentine with the intent to see if he can carve out a spot on the roster again. If we’re splitting this group into tiers, there’s the A squad of Nixon, Hobbs, and Valentine, then a tier with just Ballentine, followed by the rest.
With Ballentine, Jeff Hafley gets someone with a proven track record and no surprises. You know what you’re getting with Ballentine, who said after Tuesday’s practice:
I’m familiar with (the playbooks), so some things I was picking up really quickly, but everyone kind of expected me to know everything, so it was like, “It has been a little bit.” I’m still learning, but I’ll get the hang of it.
Regarding that third tier, what King could develop into is still unknown. We also don’t know if Robinson can play the position at a high level in the NFL. It’s unknown if Melton can make the daunting switch from wide receiver to cornerback.
The result could be King, Hadden, Robinson, Melton, and perhaps one or two others battling it out for a single spot.
When multiple cornerbacks went down with injuries in 2023, Ballentine secured one of the starting spots for six games. Ballentine, along with then-rookie Carrington Valentine, helped keep the passing defense on track.
Hobbs just had his knee cleaned up and is expected to be ready for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. However, if any of the top three cornerbacks were to go down this season, the Packers would’ve been pivoting to someone — whether it be King, Hadden, Robinson, or Melton — who had little to no experience playing cornerback in the NFL. Now they have Ballentine, who has shown he can be a trusted reserve.
It’s a more significant upgrade than you might initially think.
Of course, if King continues to shine in training camp and then the preseason, or Hadden returns with a bang, nothing is guaranteed for Ballentine. His return hasn’t assured him a roster spot. Still, given how things are taking shape at cornerback, Ballentine should feel good about his chances.
Getting Ballentine back wasn’t even a consideration until the Colts released him.
”I was disappointed that it didn’t work out,” Ballentine said. “But at the same time, it did work out, because I’m here, you know what I’m saying?”
If Green Bay keeps four cornerbacks, Ballentine very well could be the final puzzle piece. If they keep five, which feels more plausible at the moment, there are plenty of different combinations to mull over.
But there’s no real question about Ballentine and what he brings to the table: familiarity, a sound track record, a veteran presence, the ability to play in a pinch without being overwhelmed, and immense versatility that allows the Packers to slot him in on special teams. His signing could ultimately provide the cornerback room with much-needed structural integrity.