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It’s a good conundrum for the Green Bay Packers to have–figuring out how to divide up playing time within their top-heavy cornerback room. But nonetheless, it’s a question that will have to be answered upon Eric Stokes’ return from injury.
With Stokes still sidelined through the offseason programs with a foot injury, the Packers are going to have Rasul Douglas and Jaire Alexander lined up on the boundary with Keisean Nixon in the slot. How Stokes fits into that equation remains to be seen.
What complicates things is that, outside of Nixon, the other three cornerbacks may be better suited playing on the boundary, or at least playing both inside and out. Green Bay experimented with Douglas lining in the nickel last season, but he was far more impactful once back outside. Alexander is just too good of a cornerback to only be playing from the slot–instead, he should be wherever the opponent’s top receiver is or eliminating explosive plays on the perimeter. Stokes, meanwhile, has registered only 13 slot snaps in the NFL.
Nixon brings a physical presence to the nickel as a capable tackler and willing run defender, two important aspects of playing inside. He was also able to limit pass-catchers to just over 10 yards per catch, despite being targeted heavily last season.
There are a few potential options that the Packers have. One is that Nixon takes on a much smaller role, with Alexander, Douglas, and Stokes being the primary cornerbacks. However, unlike last year where Douglas primarily played inside, the Packers should instead determine the slot cornerback by what the matchup dictates and be flexible enough to change from series to series or even snap to snap. If the opponent’s top receiver is inside, then Alexander should be in the slot. If Green Bay is matched up against a speedy slot receiver, then give Stokes those snaps. And if they are facing a big-bodied slot target, then Douglas is the nickel.
Another option could be to have Nixon continue taking the majority of the slot snaps, except for when Alexander is needed inside, of course, with Stokes and Douglas’ playing time on the boundary dictated by the matchup. The obvious issue with this, however, is that for a defense that lacked playmaking at times, this could put Douglas, who has nine interceptions over the last two seasons, on the sidelines.
The last two alternatives include moving Douglas to safety, where the Packers have major question marks. This is also something that Brian Gutekunst discussed this offseason and could be a good fit for Douglas, given his skill set. Or, perhaps Stokes takes on more of a defined role as a rotational cornerback, utilized in specific situations. The problem here is that after spending a first-round pick on Stokes in 2021, where he had a very good initial season, his snap count would already be limited in Year 3, which isn’t ideal for development. Although prior to his injury, 2022 was a down year for Stokes, some of the underlying numbers show a player who was very sticky in both man and zone coverages and third among all cornerbacks in snaps per target, hopefully illustrating that a bounce-back season is about to ensue.
The good news for the Packers is that the reason that they have to make this decision is because they have several talented players at this position group. Ultimately, the timeline for Stokes’ return, along with how the cornerback group and defense as a whole are playing at that point will be other factors in this equation and may also uncover an alternative that wasn’t discussed above. But for now, it seems to be a wait-and-see approach.
