'Put it All Together' How Packers Rising Star Aims to Take Major Step in 2025 1 Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 5, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Bears defeated the Packers 24-22.Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Packers must upgrade position that ‘doesn’t inspire confidence’

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 3:11 PM ET

The Packers’ quiet start to free agency has been more of a talent drain, than anything close to a masterclass in talent acquisition.

After trading for Micah Parsons last season, and two years removed from signing former rushing champion Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney, the Packers have lost major talent along the front seven and must prioritize bolstering the secondary in new coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s defense.

Packers must look to upgrade at cornerback

Even after trading Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys, acquiring Zaire Franklin in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, but losing linebacker Quay Walker in free agency, cornerback is still a weakness Green Bay can’t afford to open the season with, as currently constructed.

Pro Football Focus lists cornerback as the most glaring weakness on the Packers’ roster, after free agency’s first two waves of marquee signings.

“The Packers aren’t necessarily barren at cornerback,” Dalton Wasserman writes, for PFF. “But the duo of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, alongside nickel defender Javon Bullard, doesn’t inspire the most confidence.”

With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching and the veteran market thinning, general manager Brian Gutekunst faces a narrow window to provide Gannon with the premium secondary talent his scheme requires.

Whether through a late-wave veteran signing or a high-stakes draft day maneuver, addressing the cornerback room has shifted from a defensive luxury to an absolute necessity for Green Bay’s 2026 championship hopes.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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