With the November 4 trade deadline right around the corner, the rumor mill has obviously begun to work overtime. Even though the Green Bay Packers are 5-1-1 and atop the NFC North, calls for a trade before the deadline have still been loud.
The main position of need, according to most Packers fans since the start of the season, was cornerback. On Sunday Night Football, however, Carrington Valentine looked the solution the defense has desperately been searching for.
Valentine's emergence, and the potential he'll perform at a high level for the rest of the year, has suddenly saved Brian Gutekunst from needing to uber-aggressive on a potential CB trade at the deadline.
Carrington Valentine Proves Packers Don't Need a CB Trade Before Deadline
After the departures of Eric Stokes and Jaire Alexander in the offseason, the Packers went out and signed Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million deal and hoped the former Raider would help replace that production. That hasn't been the case so far, much to the frustration of Packers fans, who have been banging the drums about the need to play Valentine over him all season.
Yet, it seemed like Valentine didn't have the trust of the coaching staff for some reason. Even though he was putting together solid performances whenever he got the chance, he was not seeing consistent playing time.
This resulted in the sentiment that if it's not going to be Valentine, then the team should trade for another backfield defender to upgrade the rotation. That way, Hobbs could move to the nickel cornerback, where he is more experienced and proven.
However, fans finally got their wish on Sunday with Valentine playing 62 defensive snaps and looking better than Hobbs did all season. Not only that, but Javon Bullard, whose starting spot would be at risk if Hobbs were to move to the slot, also had one of his best games as a Packer.
The former second-round pick was highly effective in his snaps, with six tackles, one fumble recovery, and allowing an 80.6 passer rating in coverage, receiving a 69.3 grade on Pro Football Focus. The Packers have consistently been high on Bullard, and it's hard to imagine them giving his spot to Hobbs or anyone else after that performance.
In-season trades are always trickier than fans think, as integrating a starter into the lineup is never as easy as it seems on paper. Veteran cornerbacks can also require serious capital to acquire, such as Marshon Lattimore last November, who went for a third-, fourth- and fifth-round pick. Darius Slay in 2020 required a third- and fifth-rounder as well.
If Valentine and Bullard are going to keep playing the way they did against the Steelers, then the Packers don't need to overpay at the deadline. It's important for any GM to consider deals that will improve their team, but Green Bay may now just be a depth buyer at cornerback, instead of desperate for a starting-caliber player.