3 Important Players to the Green Bay Packers Success in 2020
By Paul Bretl
Chandon Sullivan
I’ve harped on it quite a bit this offseason but there is some uncertainty within the Green Bay Packers’ cornerback room entering the new season. We know that Jaire Alexander and Kevin King will be holding down the outside, but as far as the nickel corner position goes, with Tramon Williams still unsigned, it remains up for grabs.
In a conference call that took place after the draft, GM Brian Gutekunst mentioned that Josh Jackson, Chandon Sullivan, and Darnell Savage are all candidates to assume that role. However, in a perfect world, I believe Gutey would prefer Sullivan to take on those duties.
Instead of labeling Savage as the nickel corner, he would be at his best being able to roam the secondary and taking on a number of different roles. Meanwhile, when it comes to Jackson, he rarely saw the field last season and Sullivan is already more accomplished as a Packer than he is.
Sullivan was signed last offseason and there wasn’t any sort of certainty that he was even going to make the final 53-man roster. But as the season went on he saw his playing time increase and he performed quite well.
According to Pro Football Focus, Sullivan played 145 snaps in the slot last season – the highest amount at any position – and he allowed a completion percentage of only 41.7 percent on 36 targets while also not giving up a single touchdown. He would also record one interception and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 43.1 when targeting him.
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Under Mike Pettine, the Packers play with five, six or even seven defensive backs on the field quite often and if Sullivan is able to give them a reliable presence in the slot on a consistent basis, it will allow this defense to focus more of their efforts on stopping the run. Something that as well know, gave them major issues last season.