No one will confuse the 2025 Green Bay Packers cornerback room for the 2010 version. There’s no Charles Woodson-level player to be sure, and there may not even be a Tramon Williams or Sam Shields-level player. But the passing defense as a whole last year faired as well as any of the Matt LaFleur era and better than most of the Mike McCarthy teams for that matter. That being said, the lack of high-end talent means depth will be even more important for this season’s team and right now, the team has largely unproven players behind the projected starters. If Brian Gutekunst wanted to make a move, he’ll have a wealth of options on the cornerback market.
Jaire Alexander played a scant 1/3 of defensive snaps in 2024, yet the team finished seventh in pass defense DVOA and fourth in Pro Football Focus’ coverage grade. It’s not surprising then Brian Gutekunst reflected optimism about this season’s team after adding former Raiders starter Nate Hobbs to the room.
“We have three guys that have combined started over 90 games in the National Football League,” Gutekunst said in a recent interview.
“I feel really good about those three guys and the versatility they bring. All three guys are able to play inside out and outside … There’s not many teams in this league that probably have three guys they feel really good about. We do."
That’s a great thing to say in June, but has to hold up to scrutiny in September and beyond.
Veteran options aplenty
Gutekunst generally eschews this bucket of players, but there are myriad names fans would recognize here for the Packers if they want a veteran option. Stephon Gilmore arrived in Minnesota last year in a move that, at the time, looked puzzling but made sense once the team started winning.