One full-time starting cornerback role will be accounted for in the Packers’ case provided Keisean Nixon is healthy at the start of the season. Training camp and the preseason will be spent determining Green Bay’s other first-team spot at that position.
Carrington Valentine and Brandon Cisse have both taken starting reps this offseason, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes. A Nixon hamstring injury resulted in missed time on his part at the onset of camp. As long as he is back to full strength for Week 1, though, only one of Valentine or Cisse will be handling first-team duties.
A seventh-round pick of the Packers in 2023, Valentine has racked up 30 starts in his career. That includes 11 from last season, during which he set a new career high in defensive snaps (780). As a pending 2027 free agent, Valentine’s ability to remain a regular in the secondary will be critical in determining his market for next spring.
Cisse was selected 52nd overall in April’s draft, making him Green Bay’s top choice for 2026. The South Carolina cornerback secured full guarantees for the first three years of his rookie contract, so he figures to have a role for the coming year and beyond. If Cisse is unable to land a starting spot right away, a backup gig with special teams duties could be in store before potentially succeeding Valentine as a first-team defensive contributor.
The Packers signed Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48MM deal last offseason. That commitment did not pan out as hoped, however, and Hobbs was cut with a June 1 designation during the spring. Green Bay’s CB outlook has been less clear than that of many other positions over the past few months given the team’s stability elsewhere on the roster relative to 2025. The Packers finished 11th against the pass last year but managed only seven interceptions.
Improvement in both areas will be sought out under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in 2026. Nixon figures to have a significant role to play regardless, but it will be interesting to see if he will be joined by Valentine or Cisse in the Week 1 lineup.
