A new defensive staff could be the best thing for Brandon Cisse getting on the field early

Second-round picks normally get a shot to play meaningful snaps early, but with three veterans ahead of Brandon Cisse, it might have been tough if not for a coaching change.

When Brandon Cisse was asked about competing to play, he demurred, suggesting he was just trying to come in and learn from the veterans already on the roster. And that’s the strange thing for Cisse and the Green Bay Packers: there is a lot of congestion for a second-round pick at a clear need position.

Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, the incumbent starters, are each players with experience in big games for Green Bay, though in Nixon's case, he has to hope Jonathan Gannon skipped the two most recent Chicago Bears games in his 2025 tape study.

Brian Gutekunst brought in competition via free agency with Benjamin St-Juste, a similar caliber of cornerback who happens to be coming off his best season as a pro. He likely would have competed to start regardless of who the Packers drafted.

Cisse, still just 20 years old, was always going to have a hard time breaking into the starting lineup barring injury. There’s reason to believe he could do it — more on that later — but as a starting boundary corner, Gannon saying ‘No one has a spot yet,’ doesn’t carry much weight.

The rookie enters spring ball as boundary CB4 at best.