Packers 2026 Offseason

[LouisEly]

I'd be really curious to see PFF grades for the CBs when both Parsons and Wyatt were healthy, after Wyatt went down, and then after Parsons went down.

I don't think it's coincidental that the corners didn't look good after they lost both their best outside and inside pass rushers.  And I'd bet the list of ~190lb corners who enjoy tackling 240lb running backs is a short list.

[BrewerFan]

On 6/18/2026 at 5:54 PM, LouisEly said:

I'd be really curious to see PFF grades for the CBs when both Parsons and Wyatt were healthy, after Wyatt went down, and then after Parsons went down.

I don't think it's coincidental that the corners didn't look good after they lost both their best outside and inside pass rushers.  And I'd bet the list of ~190lb corners who enjoy tackling 240lb running backs is a short list.

To be taken with a grain of salt, but I asked Gemini... whatever. The free version is... pretty bad, but I think the Gemini pro is pretty useful. 
 

 

Quote

 

• Keisean Nixon: Through those first 14 games, he was tracking toward an All-Pro caliber season, hovering near a high-70s to low-80s coverage grade while matching up heavily with top options. Once Micah went down, he was forced to cover significantly longer; he finished the year giving up 7 total touchdowns and a 60% completion rate, pulling his final grade down into the mid-60s.

• Carrington Valentine: Was playing incredibly tight boundary coverage over his 11 starts during Micah's healthy stretch, limiting quarterbacks to a tiny 56.4% completion rate (25th in the NFL). Without that front-line pressure to force early throws, his late-season metrics took a heavy hit, exacerbated by a high missed-tackle rate (22.7%) when forced to defend open space.

• Nate Hobbs: Missing major chunks of the year with knee injuries, he logged only 245 total coverage snaps. While he was passable as a situational piece while the front line was hunting, his coverage metrics plummeted the moment he lacked safety help or a relentless pass rush up front, finishing the year with a brutal 125.3 passer rating allowed when targeted.

The Reality of the Split: When Micah went down, the Packers didn't win another game all season and bowed out immediately in the first round of the playoffs. The secondary went from an aggressive, top-tier coverage unit to one of the most exposed groups in the league because the 12.5 sacks and 26 QB hits Micah provided disappeared instantly.

Now JUST Nixon and Wyatt-
 

 

Quote

 

When both Devonte Wyatt and Micah Parsons were on the field together—which covers that dominant stretch from Week 1 up until Devonte suffered his ankle fracture on Thanksgiving against the Lions—the secondary played its absolute best football of the year.

With Micah threatening the edge and Devonte collapsing the pocket from the interior, quarterbacks had a historically low average time-to-throw.

The Golden Window: Weeks 1–12 (Wyatt & Parsons Active)

• Keisean Nixon: This was his absolute peak. Because the dual-threat pass rush didn't force him to mirror slot receivers through extended scrambles, his coverage grade sat right at an elite 81.4. He was playing aggressively, breaking on the ball cleanly, and holding down the middle of the field.

• Carrington Valentine: This was the exact window where Valentine locked down the boundary. He maintained a tight 56.4% completion percentage allowed, using his length to trail trailing receivers who were getting rushed targets. His coverage grade hovered at a stellar 78.9.

• Nate Hobbs: Before his knee issues completely compromised his movement and forced him into exposed positions later in the year, Hobbs was highly reliable. Sheltered by an elite front line, he maintained a clean 72.3 coverage grade.

The Turning Point

The moment Devonte went down against Detroit, the defensive dynamic shifted. Without an interior wrecking ball, opposing offenses could slide their protection schemes entirely toward Micah or chip him with a tight end.

The cornerbacks immediately had to hold their coverage blocks for an extra half-second to a full second longer. While Micah still got his stats until his own injury in Denver, the secondary's grades began a steady downward slide during those two weeks without Devonte, a slide that completely bottomed out once Micah went down too.

 

 

I'm a bit skeptical Nixon was ever tracking at an All-Pro level. Valentine's numbers seem more realistic. 
But this secondary was good enough with Wyatt and Parsons. Wyatt was really coming on as a interior pass rusher and... we all know what Parsons is.
I think this unit is good enough IF those two are healthy... and I expect they will be. 

This defense was playing great. A couple of late game meltdowns, largely due to the offense(Browns) or Special teams. 

Does anyone remember the CBs on the Giants teams who beat the Pats?
I'd bet most people remember Strahan, JPP, Tuck, Canty... etc...Linvel Joseph was a young IDL on that team.

One reason the Rams are a little more scared(and by a little, I mean a lot) is they have some studs at CB and an elite pass rush.  


But I think this team is as talented as anyone that doesn't have Myles Garrett and who knows how that plays out. 


I argued a lot last year that our CBs were just not good enough, we had all slot CBs, plus Bullard. Once we got Parsons, I cared a lot less. 

Plus, we have exceptional safeties. 

 

[BrewerFan]

On 6/18/2026 at 1:28 PM, CheezWizHed said:

Meh.  They aren't playing in pads.  What did you expect him to say?  Yes, Cisse clearly beat out Kesian in a totally meaningless offseason play. 

Nixon is also very underrated here.  He has been an average starting CB.  Is that great for your #1 CB? Not really, but it isn't like he sucks either. 

Chances are that Cisse outplays Valentine to win CB #2...then who cares who is #1 or #2? Beat out the worst CB. 

He's not a good starting CB all things being equal... Micah parsons makes them not equal. He's good enough with Parsons, Wyatt, LVN(who did play well when healthy last year) and just so long as he doesn't have to cover long. 

Ask him to play in a zone defense where the ball comes out quickly... he's going to come up and take on RBs and make plays on the ball. 

Valentine I thought got more hate even and he's better in coverage(some BRUTAL "tackle" attempts last year though). 

Nixon is a bit underrated on here.... he's incredibly underrated on other places like X where people wanted him cut this off-season... which is a massive disconnect. He's underpaid. He's get I think 12M or so if he were a FA. 

[CheezWizHed]

17 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

He's not a good starting CB all things being equal... Micah parsons makes them not equal. He's good enough with Parsons, Wyatt, LVN(who did play well when healthy last year) and just so long as he doesn't have to cover long. 

Ask him to play in a zone defense where the ball comes out quickly... he's going to come up and take on RBs and make plays on the ball. 

Valentine I thought got more hate even and he's better in coverage(some BRUTAL "tackle" attempts last year though). 

Nixon is a bit underrated on here.... he's incredibly underrated on other places like X where people wanted him cut this off-season... which is a massive disconnect. He's underpaid. He's get I think 12M or so if he were a FA. 

Technically, all CBs are terrible if they have to cover for a long time. Last year was not one of Nixon's best, but the board has this discussion every year... By just about any rating metric, he grades out in the middle of the starting CBs; something in the 20-30 range.

Valentine has generally been just a tick behind (I think last year he was a tick ahead? - I'm too lazy today to look it up).  But he plateaued and really hasn't improved (much) on his rookie year. 

You can get by with excellent S and Edge players.  An upgrade is certainly warranted (especially if you want to win the SB), but it hasn't been our biggest hole either.

[BrewerFan]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Technically, all CBs are terrible if they have to cover for a long time. Last year was not one of Nixon's best, but the board has this discussion every year... By just about any rating metric, he grades out in the middle of the starting CBs; something in the 20-30 range.

Valentine has generally been just a tick behind (I think last year he was a tick ahead? - I'm too lazy today to look it up).  But he plateaued and really hasn't improved (much) on his rookie year. 

You can get by with excellent S and Edge players.  An upgrade is certainly warranted (especially if you want to win the SB), but it hasn't been our biggest hole either.

Yes, obviously the longer they have to cover, the worse they get, but the Packers had a good pass rush in 2023 and 2024 ranking 7th and 11th in pressure rate respectively and their CBs were... still not good. They were forced into playing zone as they came out and said. They went from having Jaire as their #1 CB, Nixon in the slot and Stokes.. hoping he'd bounce back to asking Nixon to play outside, Jaire gone and Stokes never recovered from his injury(at least until last year where he was an elite cover corner while we got Hobbs who was a bad fit from the time they signed him). 

The "biggest hole," has clearly been the Special Teams the last 3 years, but CB has been the 2nd worst group since Jaire went down. I do agree you can get by with great Safeties and a front 5 that has Micah Parsons. We saw that last year. You can also get by by protecting them and playing zone and coming up and tackling well. Guys like Micah Parons completely change your defense. I am a bit jealous of the Rams who went out and fixed their CB room with two lite CBs. One of the best in the NFL and then another VERY good CB.

Nixon is a good value yet, Vaentine is a good depth guy who can maybe become more. But I'm hoping we seee more out of the newcomers. 

 

As for their grades;

I don't think Nixon has graded out as a top 20-30 CB ever unless maybe you go by his run defense or something. 
Valentine two years ago was the highest either of them have graded out... as least per PFF.

Nixon- 2023 54.5 Coverage grade(worst on the team). 
2024-60.7 coverage(64.5 overall, 88 of 222 CBs).
2025-66.4 coverage 41st of 114

Valentine-2023-65.5 coverage grade(pretty limited snaps)
2024-70.3
2025-65.7 44th of 222 CBs