Tag: Carrington Valentine

Packers optimistic about Carrington Valentine, depth at cornerback

Re-signing slot cornerback Keisean Nixon and the team’s optimism in Carrington Valentine’s ability entering Year 2 has Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst feeling good about the depth he has at the cornerback position.

Re-signing slot cornerback Keisean Nixon and the team’s building optimism in Carrington Valentine’s ability entering Year 2 has Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst feeling good about the depth he has at the cornerback position entering the 2024 draft.

“If we can stay healthy there (cornerback), I like the way the competition in that room is shaping up,” Gutekunst said from the league meetings on Monday.

The Packers re-signed Nixon on a three-year deal, providing a likely starter in the slot. Gutekunst also brought back Corey Ballentine on a deal above the minimum, and the Packers think Valentine — a seventh-round pick last year who made 13 starts — is a capable starter.

“I think he showed last year that he was (a starting level player),” Gutekunst said. “He played very consistent football for us, and I think his best football is ahead of him, like a lot of our guys. He needs to get a little bit stronger, and I think he will. But I think the positions we put him in this past season, he answered the bell quite a bit throughout. Some of those were on short notice. And to come in and compete like he did, you don’t see that a lot out of seventh-round players. He had a lot of belief in himself and when the opportunities came, he certainly capitalized on them.”

Valentine was on the field for 695 defensive snaps as a rookie, and he led the team with nine pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, Valentine allowed just one touchdown pass and a completion percentage of 57.4 into his coverage last season. He committed only two penalties, missed only two tackles against the pass and gave up a passer rating of 84.1.

Adding play strength may allow Valentine to be a disruptive press cornerback type in Jeff Hafley’s new defense. His play style would appear to be a better match for Hafley’s aggressive style than Joe Barry’s more passive style.

One month out from the draft, the Packers have likely starters in Nixon and Jaire Alexander, a recent first-round pick in Eric Stokes who is coming back from another injury-plagued season and two starting competitors in Valentine and Ballentine. Stokes is a question mark, and the long-term depth at cornerback isn’t necessarily solidified, so the Packers could still make another big investment at the position. But it’s clear Gutekunst is more comfortable with the depth he’s built at cornerback than the current outside perception.

Packers fans loved Carrington Valentine’s defiant response to the blown DPI no-call against the Chiefs

He didn’t see any flag.

The final drive of Sunday night’s game between the Chiefs and Packers was far from the best officiating we’ve seen this season. And while missed calls went against both teams in that drive, no decision was more consequential than the no-call for defensive pass interference that should have been on Carrington Valentine.

You just won’t hear Valentine admit that he got away with one.

The no-call in question came with Patrick Mahomes airing out a pass on first down to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Chiefs receiver made an attempt at the ball but was unable to haul it in with Valentine already draped over his back near the 5-yard line.

It was an obvious penalty and should have been called. But when Valentine was asked about the no-call after the game, he refused to admit that the refs got it wrong. He didn’t see any flag!

I mean, he’s not wrong. Chiefs fans may not enjoy that answer, but Packers fans definitely did. It’s not like he was ever going to take away from his own play after a huge win.

Referee Brad Allen embarrassed the NFL on Sunday night, and nothing will be done about it

Referee Brad Allen embarrassed the NFL on Sunday night’s Packers-Chiefs game, but what will be done about it? And how would we know?

Two things can be true.

The Green Bay Packers deserved to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Referee Brad Allen and his crew made such a mess of things in that game, we’ll never know who really won.

The call (or no-call) everyone’s talking about in the Packers’ 27-19 win was the missed obvious pass interference call on Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine with 50 seconds left in the game, and it was BAD. Valentine so obviously impeded receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s ability to play the ball, there was no other call to make.

It absolutely should have been pass interference, the Chiefs should have had the ball inside the Green Bay 10-yard line, and from there? You never know what will happen.

And we will never know what would have happened. We also have the two-hand shove given to Travis Kelce by Packers safety Jonathan Owens on this Hail Mary pass at the end of the game. Yes, officials let a lot of contact go on those types of throws, but this was, again, obvious.

Not that the Chiefs were the only team hosed near the end of the game. It’s hard to top the unnecessary roughness penalty given to Owens on this hit of Patrick Mahomes with 1:05 left in the game. This really started the rodeo.

There was also Allen not letting the clock run when Valdes-Scantling was pushed out of bounds with 24 seconds left in the game. Because Valdes-Scantling was pushed backward, and his forward progress had stopped, the game clock should have kept running. But it didn’t.

After the game, Allen “explained” himself in a pool report.

The “covering officials” should be fined and suspended for missing such an obvious call (set of calls, really), but as far as we know, that will not happen. The NFL does not make discipline of officials public, nor does it make the reviews of officials public. If an official is downgraded for a game like this, we don’t know about it, and if a downgraded official somehow gets a postseason assignment, we don’t know that, either. Which really isn’t a good look for the NFL.

There is no one way to fix an officiating problem that has become the league’s top story without question this season, but some level of transparency would help. If the media wants to speak to an official after a game, that official should be made available, and the interview should be made available to the public. NFL senior V.P. of officiating Walt Anderson should have a weekly press conference — also made available to the public — in which he can explain any calls or no-calls media may have questions about.

And in the case of this particular debacle, the “covering officials” should not be able to slink away anonymously. They should also be made available to answer questions. That level of accountability might bring a fraction of change to a profession that is clearly in need of quite a bit more than that.

But, that will not happen. Certainly not before the Competition Committee meets at the league meetings next March. Until then, there will be more bad officiating, more games altered in ways they shouldn’t be, and more fan frustration because the fans are asked to lap the product up without question.

That’s hardly the American way, at least in theory, but it is certainly the NFL way.

Packers rookie CB Carrington Valentine stands out in place of Rasul Douglas

No Rasul Douglas? No problem for the Packers. Rookie Carrington Valentine stood out in Week 9.

No Rasul Douglas? No problem.

Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine impressed in his first game starting in place of Douglas, who was dealt to the Buffalo Bills in a last-minute trade on Oct. 31.

Making only his fourth career start, Valentine was tasked with a difficult matchup against one of the league’s most talented receiving corps in the Los Angeles Rams. Valentine responded emphatically, coming away with a team-high three pass breakups while allowing only one reception on eight targets, according to Pro Football Focus. His passer rating against came to just 39.6, and he also pitched in two tackles.

Thanks in part to Valentine’s strong performance, Green Bay held Los Angeles to three points and snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 3-5. The Rams, of course, were without their Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who was unable to play due to a thumb injury he suffered the previous week.

But even with backup Brett Rypien at the helm, the Packers still had to account for the dynamic receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Valentine spent most of his day lined up across from Nacua, the Rams’ rookie phenom who leads all first-year receivers in targets, receptions, and receiving yards by a considerable margin. However, against Valentine’s coverage, Nacua did not make a single catch on four targets.

It was pretty apparent during the game that Valentine knew he was in a groove, as every time he forced an incomplete pass, he was letting everyone hear about it. After the game, coach Matt LaFleur said that wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“I think he’s a guy that loves to compete, and that’s what I love about him,” said LaFleur. “He’s not going to shy away from competition. He believes in himself, and I think he went out there and had a pretty good performance.”

Fellow corner Jaire Alexander agreed with that assessment and expects more of the same moving forward.

“Man, 37 played like a top-tier corner in the league, and it’s exciting to see,” said Alexander. “He will continue to do that because that’s his standard now. We’ve seen it in camp — he’s young, he’s hungry, he wants to make plays, he wants to be the best. I can’t be more happy to play alongside somebody like that.”

Valentine made a name for himself this summer by standing out on the practice field. It eventually carried over into the preseason, where he showcased his playmaking ability with multiple pass breakups and an interception.

Unfortunately,  Valentine went through some growing pains while adjusting to the level of competition during the regular season. This was evident in the team’s Week 7 meeting with the Denver Broncos when Valentine filled in for an injured Alexander and struggled against Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

To be a starting NFL corner, you have to have unwavering confidence and a short memory. Both are traits Valentine displayed in his bounce-back outing against Los Angeles.

The Packers will obviously miss Douglas’ ball-hawking and leadership, but the team is well aware of Valentine’s upside. Valentine absorbed as much knowledge as he could in the time the two spent together and told USA Today’s Ryan Wood that he planned on texting Douglas to see what he could improve on.

The expectation around Valentine will be raised moving forward. Fortunately, he has the right attitude, and his coaching staff and teammates have a ton of confidence in him. As a rookie seventh-round pick, that’s all you can ask for.

Jason McCourty breaks down preseason debut of Packers rookie Carrington Valentine

Carrington Valentine’s preseason debut in Cincinnati was highlighted on “Good Morning Football.”

The debut of Green Bay Packers rookie Carrington Valentine during last week’s preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals caught the attention of a national crowd.

Valentine, a seventh-round pick out of Kentucky, broke up two passes and intercepted another pass off a deflection over 29 snaps (21 in coverage) against the Bengals. Per PFF, Valentine allowed only two receptions on six targets into his coverage. He also made a stop in the run game for no gain.

How good was Valentine in Cincinnati? Former NFL defensive back Jason McCourty spent time breaking down Valentine’s preseason debut on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Friday:

McCourty highlighted several different plays, complimenting Valentine’s eyes, finishing ability and physicality.

Can Valentine continue making plays on Saturday night when the Packers host the New England Patriots in the second preseason week? The seventh rounder made quite an impression in his debut, but every week is a new test for a rookie in the NFL.

Packers will ‘look at everything’ to determine playing time in secondary

Rookie Carrington Valentine is ascending and Eric Stokes will eventually return from the PUP list. What do the Packers do at cornerback? Matt LaFleur said everything is on the table.

It’s not a problem to work through, but rather a luxury to have.

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of talented cornerbacks on their roster, which could lead to some difficult decisions that have to be made when it comes to playing time, but the team will look at everything to make sure the best players are on the field.

The starting cornerbacks are, of course, Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas on the boundary, along with Keisean Nixon in the slot. Eventually, 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes is going to be activated off the PUP list and become available. Considering how well rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine is playing, he seems deserving of some snaps as well.

“We definitely have to look at something,” said Matt LaFleur on Wednesday in regards to getting Valentine on the field, “because he’s done a lot up to this point. Again, he’s got to keep progressing. There’s still alot of ball in front of us in terms of practices and games, so we will just see how he progresses, but up to this point, he is worthy of getting some snaps, for sure.”

One potential solution would be for Rasul Douglas to move to safety, a position where there is still a lot of question marks. What we know at the moment is that Darnell Savage is going to be one of the starters, but Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, have rotated in next to Savage and now it appears to be Tarvarius Moore’s turn. As of late, rookie Anthony Johnson has seen some sporadic reps with the starters as well. 

Earlier in the offseason during the NFL Combine, GM Brian Gutekunst was asked about the idea of moving Douglas to safety. Gutekunst does believe that because of Douglas’ skill set to attack the ball, play with his eyes, take good angles, and the instincts that he possesses, it is a transition that he could make.

LaFleur was asked a similar question before Wednesday’s practice, and he too, is open to the idea of Douglas playing safety.

“Potentially,” said LaFleur about moving Douglas. “It’s trying to find those best five. We are going to look at everything and try to put our best people to make plays, and Rasul is one of those guys. We had Sul in there at the nickel position last year quite a bit, so he has a really high football IQ. He understands the jobs of really everybody on the back end, but we will see where it goes.”

In moving Douglas to safety, for the time being at least, it would allow Valentine to line up across from Alexander as one of the starters on the boundary. Stokes would still have to be worked back into the mix upon his return, but this does alleviate some of the congestion at the top of the cornerback depth chart, and hopefully bolsters the safety position in the process as well.

Now, with that said, there is nothing up to this point that has taken place on the practice field to suggest that this is a transition the Packers and Douglas are going to make either. Ultimately, LaFleur does want the five best defensive backs on the field, a phrase we’ve often heard him use when discussing the offensive line, however, there are very much differences between the two position groups when it comes to executing that plan.

“That’s certainly a possibility,” said LaFleur on making the move from cornerback to safety. “You could absolutely do that. There’s different requirements in terms of just coming up and fitting some of the runs, there’s different responsibilities and a total different position even though they are classified as defensive backs the criteria is a little bit different between a cornerback and a safety and even the nickel.”

At this point, moving Douglas to safety is nothing more than an option that the Packers have and appear to be somewhat open to. But it’s one that should be worth considering given the talent and playmaking at cornerback coupled with the unknowns at safety.

Packers rookie CB Carrington Valentine ends Monday’s practice with pick-six

The Packers’ seventh-round pick produced another standout moment in a summer that has been full of them for the rookie cornerback.

Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine ended Monday’s practice the Don Hutson Center with a pick-six interception, providing another standout play in what has become a summer full of impressive plays from the seventh-round pick out of Kentucky.

A few days after producing three pass breakups (including an interception) in the Packers’ preseason opener in Cincinnati, Valentine read an out-route by Romeo Doubs and picked off Jordan Love in an 11-on-11 period to end practice.

“I just saw the release of the route,” Valentine told Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com after practice. “And when he broke out, I took my eyes there and my eye progression and I just went and broke on the route … I wouldn’t say I knew it was coming but I had a hunch.”

This wasn’t the first pick-six from Valentine during training camp. He had another on former Packers quarterback Danny Etling earlier in camp when he recognized a route and made the play.

“I’ve always been a playmaker,” Valentine said.

In Cincinnati, Valentine got a gift interception on a deflected pass off a receiver’s hands late in the first half. He earned it after breaking up two passes earlier in the contest. Bengals quarterbacks targeted him six times but found only two completions.

Valentine has been running with the first-team defense rountinely during camp. Can he push for regular season playing time over the final part of camp? It might be tough for the Packers to keep such an impressive young player off the field, even if the configuration might be tough at cornerback.

Want more from No. 37? Here’s every targeted snap from Valentine during the preseason opener, via Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Co.:

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Packers rookie of the game: Carrington Valentine continues strong showing in preseason debut

Packers Wire’s rookie of the game for the preseason opener is CB Carrington Valentine, who broke up two passes and had an interception against the Bengals.

With Eric Stokes still sidelined from the ankle injury he suffered last season, the depth behind fellow cornerbacks Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, and Keisean Nixon was a major question mark for the Green Bay Packers. 

Due to the strong play of Carrington Valentine throughout training camp, that concern has been alleviated.

During Green Bay’s Family Night, Jon-Eric Sullivan, the Vice President of Player Personnel, mentioned Valentine as a player that “looks like they belong.” The 232nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft continued to display that he’s right where he belongs in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday evening. 

During the Bengals’ second possession, Valentine recorded a pass breakup and showed his willingness to get his nose dirty against the run when he recorded a tackle for no gain. 

On the next drive for the Bengals, Valentine recorded a pass breakup on third down that forced a Bengals field goal. 

Valentine capped off his strong first half with an interception off a tipped pass. Valentine’s interception led to a Sean Clifford touchdown pass to Tyler Davis to give Green Bay a 21-16 lead at halftime.

“It’s only one game,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told Larry McCarren following the win. “He’s got a ton of talent…He’s an exciting young player.”

Valentine finished his first preseason game with four tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception. He was sticky in coverage and continued to play with confidence. 

“He’s got the skillset you look for,” LaFleur said. “He’s athletic and he’s long…He’s extremely coachable. He’s been working really hard…He makes plays and competes.”

With Alexander, Douglas, and Nixon penciled in as starters and the eventual return of Stokes, Valentine’s chances to log snaps on defense may be limited. If something happens to one of those four, the Packers have to feel confident that Valentine could handle being thrown into the fire if he continues his strong play this summer. 

There is no doubt he’ll make an impact on special teams during his rookie campaign. During his final two seasons at Kentucky, Valentine logged 294 snaps on special teams and he saw snaps on special teams tonight against the Bengals. While he waits his turn on defense, Valentine’s competitive spirit and toughness will shine through on special teams. 

Matt LaFleur wants ‘very, very talented’ rookie Carrington Valentine to continue building on early success

Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine has turned into one of the must-watch young players of training camp.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur wants to see rookie Carrington Valentine — who delivered a pick-six during Monday’s practice — continue to build on his early success during the offseason and into training camp.

LaFleur believes Valentine has the skill set to be a “good player” at the NFL level.

“He’s extremely athletic, has made those splash plays,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “I love how he competes. He goes out there and challenges it. You can coach him hard, he’s receptive to the coaching. I think we have a good young player right there. I’m excited to see what he’s able to do when we get into some of these competitive practices going against a team like Cincinnati next week… and then into the preseason games. Certainly we’re early on, only one day in pads. But I think he’s got a great attitude…I think this kid is very, very talented, and he has to continue to build on his early success.”

During a team period on Monday, Valentine, a seventh-round pick, jumped a Danny Etling pass, made the interception and almost certainly would have scored a touchdown in a real-game setting. It was another standout play for a rookie who has made plenty of noise, even dating back to the offseason workout program.

The depth chart reflects Valentine’s ascendance. He’s been a second-team cornerback on the boundary behind Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas throughout training camp.

The next challenges for Valentine: building the consistency all coaches want to see in a player, and proving he can keep making plays when the setting or competition changes. The Packers will go to Lambeau Field for Family Night on Saturday, and there are joint practices against the Bengals and Patriots and three preseason games between now and roster cutdown day.

Packers rookie CB Carrington Valentine makes statement with pick-six on Monday

Seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine intercepted Danny Etling during Monday’s practice in Green Bay.

It could be easy to lose track of a seventh-round pick, especially one at a position loaded with veterans, in a 13-player draft class, but Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine is making sure he’s not a forgotten man to open training camp.

The rookie jumped a pass from Danny Etling during an 11-on-11 team drill on Monday and likely would have scored a defensive touchdown in an actual game scenario.

On the play, Carrington diagnosed the route concept, sat on the flat route and made a perfect break for the ball when Etling, who made an errant throw, tried to hit rookie Malik Heath.

Consistency is the name of the game in the NFL, and rookies are often the most inconsistent players, but “wow” moments can even the playing field. Through the first week of practices, Valentine looks like he belongs.

“Good length, can see his athleticism on the field. Comfortable being on his own in man coverage,” Packers Wire contributor Paul Bretl said.

The 232nd overall pick, Valentine has been the second-team boundary cornerback throughout training camp, per Bretl. He’s behind Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Keisean Nixon, but the rookie is well on his way to earning a 53-man roster spot as a backup at a premium position.

Valentine looks like one of the “must watch” players of the preseason. He should play a ton of snaps over the three games. Can the seventh-round pick keep makes plays and showcasing sticky coverage when the lights come on?