Group Effort to Cover Slot Snaps on Green Bay Packers Defense
By Paul Bretl
By the end of the 2022 season, it could very well be that Jaire Alexander took the most slot snaps on defense for the Green Bay Packers.
However, it’s not as if that’s the only place he is going to line up, even with Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas — two primary boundary cornerbacks — as his running mates.
Instead, Alexander’s role will vary week to week, and even snap to snap, depending on who the opponent is and where their top receiver lines up—Brian Gutekunst would acknowledge this at the NFL Owners’ meetings.
"“With Ja, he’s going to go where some of the receivers are going to go and he’s going to follow those guys in different packages. He can do everything,” Gutekunst said via Packers Wire. “That’s a nice luxury for us to have.”"
So when Alexander is lined up on the boundary, who is going to line up in the slot for the Green Bay Packers?
In terms of experience, there is very little of that from the slot on this roster. Only five of Stokes’ snaps last season came from the slot, and he spent his time on the boundary at Georgia as well. Meanwhile, Douglas’ has just 80 total slot snaps in his five-year career.
Shemar Jean-Charles was a boundary cornerback in college, who is going to primarily play out of the slot at the NFL level, but he was on the field for only 38 defensive snaps in 2021—so there is some unknown. Keisean Nixon has 62 career snaps from inside, with 52 of them coming last season, while Kiondre Thomas, Kabion Ento, and Rico Gafford, who was recently a receiver, all have no NFL experience at cornerback.
Once again, there is no one answer when it comes to who will be the slot cornerback when Alexander is on the boundary. Rather it will likely end up being a by-committee role, with DB coach Jerry Gray telling reporters on Wednesday that the defensive backs will be cross-trained at both perimeter and slot positions.
Ultimately, the matchups will most likely determine who steps inside when Alexander is outside. When there is a speedy slot presence, perhaps Stokes and his 4.25-second speed will take over as the slot. When there is a big pass-catching presence such as Travis Kelce, for example, the bigger-bodied Rasul Douglas could end up in that star role.
It will also be important that Jean-Charles can take a step forward in Year 2, which could lead to more playing time, while Gray would also mention Nixon as someone who played well inside last season. It’s a small sample size, but according to PFF, Nixon allowed four completions on five targets but for only 5.6 yards per catch with Las Vegas.
We also can’t forget about Darnell Savage, who has already spent time in the slot with the Packers—although for this to happen with any regularity, Green Bay needs a reliable third safety that they can rely on to lineup next to Adrian Amos deep in these situations.
Over the last two seasons, Savage has allowed 16 completions on 27 targets for 245 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions as the nickel defender. In 2020 specifically, Savaged ranked in the top-10 out of 85 safeties in both snaps per target and receptions per snap from the slot.
With all that said, there won’t be that many players rotating in and out of the slot corner position—playing time will likely be determined largely this summer and possibly early on into the season.
But who is going to play as the slot cornerback for the Green Bay Packers in 2022 has been a popular topic among fans so far this offseason, and from the sounds of it, there are going to be several players who take those snaps at what Joe Barry calls a “unique position”—and I’ll venture to guess that the specific matchup will determine who.
"It’s a unique position because you’ve got to be able to play man, you’ve got to be able to play zone,” said Joe Barry to reporters last summer. “And when I say zone, you’ve got to be able to play like a linebacker almost. You’ve got to be involved in the run game and the run fits. We’ll ask our nickel to be involved in the pressure package, so it’s a unique position.”"