The Green Bay Packers entered the 2025 NFL season with plenty of questions at cornerback.
They waived Jaire Alexander after a months-long standoff and only added Nate Hobbs to replace him. That left Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, and Keisean Nixon—suddenly the top of the depth chart—to shoulder a lot of uncertainty.
The good news is that Nixon, the Packers’ default CB1, has been better than anyone expected to begin the 2025 NFL season.
When Alexander was sent packing, Nixon and the rest of the group were bumped up the ladder. For Nixon, that meant squaring off against opposing WR1s on a weekly basis.
So far, he’s more than held his own.
Keisean Nixon Is Surpassing Everyone's Expectations Through 2 Games
Through two weeks, he’s tied for the NFL lead with four pass breakups and owns Pro Football Focus’ highest grade among 95 qualified cornerbacks. Quarterbacks have targeted him nine times, completing just four passes (44 percent) for 42 yards and zero touchdowns.
That’s a huge boost for Green Bay, especially since Hobbs missed Week 1 and was only eased back into action in Week 2. Nixon has been on the field for every single defensive snap so far—one of just three Packers who can make that claim.
Of course, the pass rush deserves credit too. Micah Parsons and company have been relentless, collapsing pockets and forcing quarterbacks into rushed decisions. That pressure shrinks the time Nixon has to cover and tilts the odds in his favor.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has also played a role. His complicated schemes have confused opponents and consistently put Nixon in positions to succeed.
But let’s not overlook Nixon himself.
When he signed with Green Bay back in 2022, expectations were minimal. He was mostly viewed as a special teams contributor who might chip in as a situational corner. His role was mostly to return punts and kicks.
Instead, he’s steadily improved year after year. He’s gone from a player only used in specific packages to a defensive fixture in Green Bay.
And he’s doing it at a bargain. Nixon carries just a $6.8 million cap hit this season, which only bumps to $7.2 million next year. For a player producing at his level, that’s outstanding value—exactly the kind of roster-building win that keeps the Packers both deep and dangerous.
Handed the CB1 role this offseason, Nixon was expected to take some lumps. Two games in, he’s doing the opposite. He's handing out the lumps. There’s still plenty of football left, but so far in 2025, Nixon is exceeding expectations and then some.