The Packers made a big investment at cornerback during the NFL Draft.
By selecting Brandon Cisse in the second round of last month’s draft, the Packers didn’t just hand new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon a physical presence on the back-end, but officially put one of Green Bay’s veteran cornerbacks on notice.
Did Packers already start the clock on Carrington Valentine?
Over at ESPN, Ben Solak put together a list of veterans across the league who are now on the hot seat following their team’s draft hauls, including Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine.
“The Packers are notoriously patient with rookies,” Solak writes for ESPN. “And Cisse is far from a finished product. South Carolina rotated its corners, and Cisse often didn’t play full games, even in his final season. But the most favored outcome in the Packers’ cornerbacks room is certainly Cisse winning the job over Valentine, who surrendered a passer rating of 126.1 when targeted last season. Only five outside cornerbacks were worse.
“Even if Cisse doesn’t win the starting job outright, I would not be surprised to see him enter a rotation with Valentine (and St-Juste). Valentine struggles more with larger receivers, and Cisse and St-Juste should match up better.”
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Despite the Packers not choosing Cisse in the first round — because Green Bay didn’t own a first-round pick, there’s a legitimate chance that the former South Carolina standout pushes for a starting job immediately.
At an absolute minimum, Cisse will be given the chance to play quality snaps, and likely cut into Valentine’s workload in the secondary with the chance to eventually develop into a starter.