Tag: Cornerback Depth

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.

Breaking: Cowboys lose another player to IR, starting CB Anthony Brown

Dallas’ depth has been tested early and often and the latest news means the secondary loses a key member just as one has returned to duty.

Things just got worse for the Dallas Cowboys and their defense ahead of a matchup already set to test their mettle. The rib injury suffered by cornerback Anthony Brown in Week 1’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams hasn’t gotten any better. In fact, it’s serious enough that it’s now going to keep him out for at least the next three games.

Dallas is placing the fifth-year corner, who they re-signed in the offseason to a three-year, $15.5 million contract after he hit free agency, on injured reserve. The move will have him missing at least the games against the Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns.

Brown seemed to impress Mike McCarthy and his defensive staff led by Mike Nolan based on film, despite not excelling under previous secondary coach and de facto DC Kris Richard. Brown was thought to be on his way to another team by most observers, but was the club’s biggest signing at the position that saw them lose Pro Bowler Byron Jones to Miami in what was at the time the biggest CB contract in NFL history.

From the beginning of training camp Brown has held down a starting role on the outside, when he had previously been seem as primarily a slot defender.

Brown toughed it out against the Rams and played all 7333 snaps on defense, in a mixture of roles as wide corner, slot corner and box defender. Part of that is the club was playing without Jourdan Lewis, who seemed to lock down the slot role in camp before injuring his ankle.

Rookie Trevon Diggs is locked in as the right cornerback, while Chidobe Awuzie will likely now primarily line up as the left corner with Lewis receiving a clean bill of health to return to the lineup this week. He was a full participant all week after getting out of his ankle boot before the Rams contest.

Dallas also has Daryl Worley on deck. The 2020 free agent saw 15 snaps in Week 1.

The Cowboys would have been tested even with their full compliment of defensive backs, as Atlanta will bring Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage to town, hauling in passes from a still dangerous Matt Ryan.

The move to promote practice squadder Eric Smith makes sense, as he was likely going to be activated anyway with the health of LT Tyron Smith in doubt, RT La’el Collins already on IR along with 4th tackle Cam Erving. Dallas has not announced who would start opposite UDFA rookie Terence Steele if Smith can’t play.

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