This is the next in a series of articles providing an in-depth analysis of each position group on the Green Bay Packers for 2025. Today we will analyze the secondary. The grades will be for each unit as a whole, but we will give an analysis of each player, their strengths and weaknesses and where they stand heading into the offseason. Here are the grades for the Packers secondary in 2025. The marks are based on a combination of expectations and performance. The average grade is a C+.

You can see our final grade for the quarterbacks here, for the defensive tackles here, the running backs here, the linebackers here, tight ends here and defensive ends here, and the offensive line here.

Over the course of the season, the Packers secondary ranked 11th in the NFL in passing yards per game with 194.1. They also finished 28th in the league with seven interceptions.

Final Grades for the 2025 Packers Secondary: Starting Cornerbacks

Keisean Nixon took over as the team’s top cover cornerback this season but he wasn’t a good fit for the job. Nixon started all 17 games and had his moments, but he is far from a shutdown corner. He benefitted from the improved pass rush Micah Parsons provided, especially early in the season. Nixon had a career-high 17 passes defended and made one interception on the season. His tackling remains inconsistent at best.

Opponents completed 64.4 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Nixon according to pro-football-reference.com and had a passer rating of 105.1. In 2024, that rating was just 78.9.

Nixon would be a solid second cornerback, but he has yet to prove equal to the task of being CB1.

Carrington Valentine played all 17 games for the Packers and started 11. The former Kentucky star didn’t intercept a pass during the regular season but did have one in the playoff game in Chicago. Valentine improved in coverage, as quarterbacks completed just 59.7 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Valentine, but they had a quarterback rating of 121.2.

Valentine likes to play press coverage and is physical with receivers off the snap. His tackling has been a real problem, however.

The Packers signed former Raider Nate Hobbs as a free agent last offseason. Injuries limited Hobbs to 11 games, and he started five of them. He made 27 tackles and broke up two passes but failed to intercept a pass.

The Packers tried to play Hobbs on the boundary, but he didn’t excel there. Throughout his career, he played better in the slot. Opposing quarterbacks completed 65.5 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Hobbs and had a quarterback rating of 111.1.

Hobbs enters 2026 as a player without a position. The Packers have to figure out if he can play the boundary effectively since they already have depth in the slot. If he can’t, he may not see a lot of playing time next season.

Starting Safeties

Xavier McKinney played well this season and earned second-team All Pro honors. He still did a good job on coverage, but his interceptions dropped from eight in 2024 to two in 2025. He also broke up 10 passes and recorded a sack.

Opposing quarterbacks completed just 57.5 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by McKinney and had a quarterback rating of just 69.2. Teams rarely throw deep down the middle of the field because of McKinney’s strong play.

Evan Williams played well in his second NFL season. He intercepted three passes and broke up five while making 100 total tackles. Williams continued to improve his play and has Pro Bowl potential.

Williams does his best work closer to the line of scrimmage. He plays the run very well while his pass coverage was ranked as above average by Pro Football Focus. Opposing quarterbacks completed 70.5 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Williams and had a quarterback rating of 94.9.

Javon Bullard provided the Packers with solid play in the slot. He started seven games while playing all 17 and made 83 total tackles. He has yet to intercept a pass.

Bullard’s grade against the run was average, but he was ranked above average in coverage. He remains an up-and-coming slot corner who can also play safety. His future appears bright and he should play a big role in the defense under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

Final Grades for the 2025 Packers Secondary: Primary Backups

Kitan Oladapo played all 17 games for the Packers with most of his contributions coming on special teams. He played 68 snaps on defense over the season and made 10 total tackles.

Kamal Hadden played 10 games and recorded five total tackles. He was only on the field for 37 defensive snaps and saw the rest of his action on special teams. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury late in the year.

Zayne Anderson gives the Packers help on special teams and can fill in as a safety when necessary. He recorded 15 tackles in 14 games and recovered two fumbles. He played just 22 snaps on defense all season and also ended the year on IR.

Depth in the Secondary

Johnathan Baldwin made his NFL debut for the Packers in the regular season finale and also played in the playoff game against Chicago. The safety was in on seven tackles in the game.

Shemar Bartholomew also played only in the final regular season game and made four tackles including one tackle for loss. The cornerback was on the field for 34 defensive snaps in that game.

Jaylin Simpson played 62 snaps a

gainst the Vikings in Week 18 and made eight tackles. He spent most of the season on the practice squad.

Final Grades for the Packers 2025 Secondary

The secondary proved to be an uneven unit. The cornerbacks didn’t grade out very well while the safeties played much better.

The strong pass rush from Parsons masked many of the issues with the cornerback play early in the season. But when injuries reduced the pass rush, the cornerbacks were exposed.

The team simply lacks an elite cover corner or even a player good enough to be a number one cornerback right now. The team must address this over the offseason.

Meanwhile, safety may be one of the deeper and better units on this team.

 

FINAL GRADE: B-

 

 

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