One of the Green Bay Packers’ biggest concerns heading into training camp is their thin—and unproven—cornerback room.
The Packers entered the offseason fully aware that their top corner, Jaire Alexander, was unlikely to return. The standoff between the two sides dragged on for months, with neither willing to budge.
Green Bay didn’t want to absorb the massive cap hits Alexander carried for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. And while Alexander’s talent is undeniable, his availability has been a major issue—he’s played in seven or fewer games in three of the past four years.
Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowler and by far the best cover man on the roster, wasn’t interested in a pay cut. He believed he was worth every penny of what the Packers still owed him.
Eventually, the situation came to a head. In June, the Packers finally released him, leaving a huge void in their secondary.
The only real contingency plan Green Bay made came earlier in free agency, when they signed Nate Hobbs. A fifth-round pick by the Raiders in 2021, Hobbs spent the first four years of his career in Las Vegas, primarily playing in the slot. Now, the Packers believe they can transition him to the outside.
Hobbs is a gamble in his own right, considering he has missed at least four games in each of the last three seasons.
He’ll join Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon as Green Bay’s top three cornerbacks. Javon Bullard is expected to handle nickel duties as well, giving the Packers a serviceable, but far from elite, top-four rotation.
It’s a razor-thin group. One injury could tip the whole thing over.
To build some cushion, the Packers are banking on their youth to step up. They spent a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Micah Robinson—a flier, sure, but not quite enough given the stakes. Kamal Hadden, a second-year player, showed promise last season and could play his way into more reps.
Kalen King Needs a Big Summer to Climb Depth Chart
And then there’s Kalen King.
Just two years ago, King looked like a potential first-rounder. In 2023, he was coming off a stellar season at Penn State and had serious buzz heading into the year. But after a brutal follow-up campaign, his stock tanked. The Packers scooped him up in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, hoping he could bounce back.
So far, that project hasn’t paid off.
Hadden passed him on the depth chart last year, and King ended up spending all but one game on the practice squad after getting cut in final roster moves. Fast forward to this summer, and things aren’t looking much better.
Nixon, Valentine, Hobbs, and Bullard are all locks for the 53-man roster. That leaves two-to-three spots—at most—for cornerbacks. Right now, Robinson and Hadden appear to have the inside track, which puts King in a pretty tight spot.
He’ll need a strong showing in camp to avoid the cut line again. Otherwise, the former draft darling could go from reclamation project to roster casualty in a hurry.
For now, he’s still in the mix. But as the days tick down to camp, Kalen King should be losing some sleep.