Keisean Nixon Fires Back at Haters Calling for Benching

The Green Bay Packers emphasized the secondary in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting rookie safeties Javon Bullard and Evan Williams in the second and fourth rounds. 

The Packers have huge expectations for the rookie defensive backs, given that they lost Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens in free agency. It will be huge shoes to fill, but thus far they’ve played well in training camp and preseason, which could lessen Keisean Nixon’s snaps in the secondary.

However, Ken Ingalls pointed out on Twitter that Nixon’s $6.5 million signing bonus is hard to justify taking him off the field. The Packers re-signed Nixon in the offseason to a three-year, $18 million deal after a stellar 2023 campaign.

The veteran cornerback caught wind of the discussion happening on Twitter and made it clear that he’s Green Bay’s starting nickelback.

The two-time Pro Bowler was one of the more stabilizing fixtures in the Packers’ secondary last season, which had injuries at the outside cornerback spots.

In an extended role, Nixon had 80 combined tackles, six pass deflections, three tackles for loss, an interception, and a half sack (13 starts). The slot cornerback also recorded a 77.8 completion percentage allowed on targets and three receiving touchdowns.

Nixon was also a key playmaker on special teams for the second straight season, which likely factored into the team re-signing him to a long-term deal. 

Nonetheless, for the Packers to win the division (+225 on DraftKings Sportsbook) this season, they likely don’t want to see Williams or Bullard playing the slot cornerback spot over Nixon. While it's encouraging to see the rookies play well in preseason, the Packers will not give them more snaps over Nixon, unless he plays badly.

Fans need to remember that the preseason is only a snapshot, things will only get harder in the regular season for the rookies.

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