The off-seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers have been extremely unlike. The Packers want to further establish themselves as a title contender in order to build on their incredibly promising 2023 campaign.
Instead of re-signing Kirk Cousins, the Vikings decided to name JJ McCarthy as their new team captain.
Nevertheless, rumors have it that the Packers may sign a 24-year-old starter from their competitor in the division.
As per FanSided’s Ryan Heckman:
First and foremost, the Packers ought to be actively seeking assistance at cornerback. It’s something that we’ve lately discussed at Lombardi Ave. Considering Jaire Alexander’s and Eric Stokes’ past injuries, Green Bay shouldn’t have complete faith in them.
Although Corey Ballentine and Carrington Valentine are good depth players, neither one is someone you would want to start for a prolonged amount of time. It would be wise to at least give those two some competition.
After all is said and done at training camp, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans may end up fourth or fifth on the depth chart, but in 2023 he started 15 games. He still has a few years left on his rookie contract and, at 6-foot-2, he provides excellent size to the position. Here, the Packers would benefit greatly from Evans’ ability to provide them with talented depth.
With King, Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Corey Ballentine at cornerback, the Packers are left with this group.
According to LaFleur, “we have a lot of players that we are confident will go out there and play at a high level.”
But there are a lot of unanswered questions.
The highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, Alexander, caused trouble both on and off the field the previous season. Due to back and shoulder issues, Alexander only appeared in seven games and was incredibly inconsistent in those games. Alexander also received a one-game suspension for actions that were harmful to the club. Having said that, he has high expectations for the 2024 season from new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
It appears that Eric Stokes is in the greatest (and healthiest) form of his career. It’s very possible that he can secure Alexander’s spot as the cornerback opposite him.
But behind those two, there isn’t much demonstrated depth, so gaining more experience might be quite beneficial.
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