The Green Bay Packers could look to make a change in their cornerback room with the 2026 draft on the horizon. As things currently stand, Green Bay’s starting corners are Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, with Javon Bullard manning the slot.
While Nixon and Bullard are solidified in their spots, there’s some uncertainty surrounding their CB2 in Valentine. Valentine, who started in 19 games over his first two seasons, began the 2025 campaign in a reserve role after the Packers spent big money on veteran Nate Hobbs.
As fans in America's Dairyland know, things didn’t stay that way for long, as the Packers turned over the starting job to Valentine in Week 8 with Hobbs floundering on the outside. At first, Green Bay’s decision to start Valentine looked smart because Hobbs wasn’t the answer. However, as the former seventh-round pick got more playing time, his flaws on the boundary became more apparent.
Now the Packers are in a spot where they must decide whether to run it back with Valentine, bring in a rookie CB to challenge him, or maybe start Benjamin St-Juste?
Carrington Valentine’s Starting Spot Is in Jeopardy Heading into 2026 NFL Draft
The Packers' signing of St-Juste in free agency last month to a two-year, $10.5 million contract slightly complicates matters for Valentine. The former seventh-round pick likely thought he was in the clear after Hobbs' release, but Green Bay had other plans.
Last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, St-Juste played more on special teams than he did on defense. But don’t let that fool you. During his four years with the Washington Commanders, St-Juste started in 45 games on the outside.
As a member of the Commanders' secondary, St-Juste gave up 13.0 yards per completion and 11 receiving touchdowns, but had a 95.2 passer rating against. The Packers didn’t sign St-Juste to a two-year deal to play special teams; they did so to give Valentine some competition.
Last season, Valentine played with physicality and aggressiveness that you love to see on the boundary, but it backfired in coverage and in the form of missed tackles (8). The third-year cornerback allowed 12.8 yards per completion, seven touchdowns, and gave up a 121.7 passer rating against.
So, St-Juste is one obstacle Valentine will have to climb over if he wants to retain his job. And then when we look towards the NFL draft, the Packers have reportedly been doing their homework on this year’s CB class, which is deep.
With Valentine and Nixon both entering their final seasons with the club, Green Bay would be remiss not to draft a cornerback at some point to keep an eye on the future. Now, depending on where the Packers draft a cornerback, that could factor into whether that guy will play or not.
If the Packers select a cornerback in Rounds 2 or 3, that will immediately set off alarm bells for Valentine that his job is in jeopardy. We’ve seen over the last couple of years on defense that the Packers will throw their rookies into the fire (Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Edgerrin Cooper) if they feel like they’re ready.
But if the Packers don’t take a cornerback until late into Day 3 or not at all, for some strange reason, then Valentine might be safe, and he’ll have to worry about only fending off St-Juste. However, all signs point to Green Bay using a pick on a cornerback, giving them a nice competition for CB2.
Valentine took strides last season as a starter and should be the frontrunner. At the same time, Green Bay should exhaust all its options to get better, leaving the former seventh-round pick with a lot to lose over the next few weeks.