Packers’ Star Cornerbacks Will Take Turns as ‘Star’

It might not be simple as using one cornerback in the slot, like the Packers did with Chandon Sullivan the past two seasons.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the return of Jaire Alexander and the re-signing of Rasul Douglas, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst feels good about his cornerback trio even if it might lack clearly defined roles.

The defense in 2022 is going to have a different feel than it did in 2020 and 2021, when Chandon Sullivan played the bulk of the snaps in the slot. In 2022, it won’t be so simple as Players A and B play on the outside and Player C lines up in the slot.

“I think, quite frankly, our entire corner group that we have right now probably could play both inside and out,” Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL spring meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday.

With quickness and toughness, Alexander obviously has the skill-set to play in the slot – or the “star” position, in defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s lingo. Alexander also is one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks overall. It’s going to be up to Barry to deploy his personnel to counteract opposing offenses. If that means Alexander playing the slot, then that’s what’s going to happen. But he won’t be pigeon-holed into that role.

“Ja, he’s going to go where some of the receivers are going to go,” Gutekunst said. “He’s going to follow some of those guys in different packages. He can do everything. It’s a nice luxury for us to have.”

The Rams won a Super Bowl last season by using Jalen Ramsey in similar fashion. Last season, Ramsey played 325 defensive snaps in the slot, 87 more than Dont’e Deayon.

The difference between the Packers and the Rams is Green Bay doesn’t have another defender with a wealth of slot experience. According to Pro Football Focus, Douglas played four defensive snaps in the slot last season, 31 snaps with Carolina in 2020 and nine with Philadelphia in 2019. As a rookie first-round pick, Eric Stokes also played four snaps in the slot last season.

Locked on the perimeter, Douglas and Stokes were outstanding in their roles. Of 96 corners to play at least 300 coverage snaps last season, Douglas ranked fourth and Stokes ranked fifth in completion percentage allowed, according to PFF. In 2020, Alexander was first. That trio gives the Packers the potential for a true no-fly zone.

“I really like the versatility of our corner group,” Gutekunst said. “I think (Douglas) can do some of that. He’s obviously very physical in the run game, which is an important part of playing nickel. He’s a taller, bigger corner, which obviously sometimes those quicker slot receivers can give those guys problems, but his instincts and his ability to anticipate make up for a little bit of that. He certainly could.”

Alexander didn’t play much in the slot the last three seasons but logged 174 snaps at nickel as a rookie in 2018. He was one of three cornerbacks to play 100-plus coverage snaps that season.

It takes a different skill-set to be the nickel defender as opposed to a pure cornerback. It’s a position that requires quickness, considering the amount of green space available for opposing receivers. And it’s a position that requires toughness given his proximity to the line of scrimmage for run support.

Last year’s shoulder injury, which knocked Alexander out for most of the season, will be more than 11 months in the rear-view mirror by the time the upcoming season kicks off and will have no bearing on how the team will line up in Week 1, Gutekunst said.