The Green Bay Packers went through the last season without a bone fide top cover corner. Early in the season, they were able to play well despite it because Micah Parsons and the pass rush limited what opposing offenses could do. But after Parsons suffered his season-ending knee injury late in the season, the team’s secondary suffered through several poor performances that cost the team games. The Packers have made some additions to the secondary over the offseason so the question remains: who will start at cornerback for the Packers in 2026?

Who Will Start at Cornerback for the Packers in 2026: The Incumbents

The returning starters from last season are Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. Both started the majority of the games for the Packers last season. The Packers released their third cornerback from a year ago, Nate Hobbs, earlier this offseason.

Nixon was the de facto top cornerback last season, but his play was very inconsistent. He’d ideally be a solid second corner on a good team. Nixon set a career high with 17 passes defended. In his six NFL seasons, he managed a total of 16.

Nixon has good speed but doesn’t always tackle well. He remains the most likely player to be a starter at cornerback if he stays healthy. This will be the final year of Nixon’s current contract, so the former South Carolina star has a lot of incentive to have a big season in 2026.

Valentine started his career as a seventh-round pick out of Kentucky in 2023. He started 11 games last season for the Packers. Like Nixon, he was not very consistent and struggled to tackle consistently.

Valentine plays more physically than Nixon and prefers to play press coverage. Like Nixon, Valentine will play this season on the final year of his current contract. This is a crossroads season for Valentine. If he plays well, he can establish himself as a starter and sign a lucrative deal next season either with the Packers or elsewhere. If he struggles, he could become a career backup and will struggle to find another job next season.

The Newcomers

The Packers signed free agent cornerback Benjamin St-Juste this offseason. The former University of Minnesota star spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. He started only two games but played a significant role in the Chargers defense throughout the season.

St-Juste played well last year for the Chargers. According to pro-football-reference.com, opposing quarterbacks completed just 53.5 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by St-Juste and had a quarterback rating of just 68.3.

St-Juste gives the Packers good size at cornerback. He stands 6’3” and weighs 200 pounds. He also can be physical off the snap of the ball.

The other significant newcomer who has a chance to start is second-round pick Brandon Cisse. The South Carolina alum gives the Packers a player with a high upside, but his talent is considered raw and needs refinement. He has very good speed but his technique needs refinement.

While Cisse won’t likely be ready to start in Week 1, he could play a bigger role on defense in the second half of the season as he adjusts to life in the NFL.

Who Will Start at Cornerback for the Packers in 2026: The Outlook

While a lot can happen between now and the start of the season, but barring injury, Nixon looks like a lock to start in Week 1. The big question is who will win the job starting opposite Nixon on the boundary. Javon Bullard returns as the likely starter in the slot.

Valentine and St-Juste will battle throughout training camp for that second starting spot with Cisse likely more of a threat to start later in the season once he’s picked up the defense and honed his technique.

It will be interesting to see whether Matt LaFleur and new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon decide to play any of the potential starters during the preseason or if most of competition will take place in training camp.

The Packers again enter training camp without a top cover corner this season. But with the two new additions, hopefully the team can get better and more consistent production from their cornerbacks this season than they did a year ago.

 

 

 

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