Packers Training Camp by Position: Cornerback
There's zero debate that Cornerback was the biggest need this offseason. It was so significant, Green Bay used their first two picks in the draft to address it. Brian Gutekunst also managed to convince Tramon Williams to come back, while bringing back Davon House as an insurance policy. Put it all together, and you have a starting corner (Williams), a former starting corner (House), two first-round-caliber corners (Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson), Green Bay's earliest pick from 2017 (Kevin King), a former second-rounder (Quinten Rollins), a veteran fringe roster player (Demetri Goodson), and a fringe of undrafted talent from the past few years (Lenzy Pipkins, Josh Hawkins, Donatello Brown and Herb Waters). That's ELEVEN corners fighting for, at the most, six roster spots. Man, it's position battles like these that really make training camp cuts exciting. Let's dive in...
CORNERBACKS
Tramon Williams - 35, 12th season, 130 starts, $3.6M Salary
Even at 35 years old, Tramon Williams is still most likely the most talented Corner on this roster. Pro Football Focus rated him as a Top 10 corner last year, and with two rookies and a second-year player who missed half his rookie season heading the depth chart, the experience and talent were both desperately needed. Age isn't a factor, and Special Teams Coordinator Ron Zook has given him more than a handful of reps punt returning. Is he a true CB1? Maybe not, but at least for the beginning of the season, he'll be given that role over the other young, inexperienced corners.
Jaire Alexander - 21, Rookie, $2.19M Salary
Man, Jaire Alexander is fun to watch. He's one of those guys that you watch and can tell he just loves playing the game. He pulled a groin earlier in camp and missed the preseason opener, but he's back to work this week and is now starting to field Punt Return duties. Some may argue he'll never be anything more than a CB3/slot specialist, but if that's the determined ceiling, he's already hit that in my eyes. He may not have CB1 potential, but if healthy, he should get close to starting reps at corner come September. Plus, with his proven straight-line speed, he could very well be the punt returner at some point in his rookie campaign.
Josh Jackson - 22, Rookie, $1.14M Salary
Jackson was drafted after Jaire Alexander, but he could easily start seeing more reps than him in the regular season. He was undoubtedly the best defensive back in the preseason opener, making plays from both the CB2 and Nickel corner spots. Just Google his red zone coverage against Tennessee and you'll see why Mike Pettine is so verbally high on him. He led the entire NCAA in Interceptions last year at Iowa, and while he's a rangy, zone defense specialist currently, the CB2 job may be his to lose by the end of the month.
Kevin King - 23, 2nd season, 5 starts, $1.61M Salary
King looked decent in the 9 games and 7 starts he made during his rookie campaign, often being tasked with guarding the top opposing wideout (look up his coverage against Julio Jones). That being said, he has a weird problem with shoulders. King battled a left shoulder injury at Washington, then missed half the year last year reaggravating the same shoulder. Early in camp this season, he injures his right shoulder. King's back to work this week, but with his nagging injuries, it's hard to see him having a significant role in the 2018 secondary. When healthy, he has the upside of a true lockdown, island-type corner. Unfortunately, that "when" is more of an "if" already two years after being drafted. Look for him to battle Josh Jackson for the CB2 role come September.
Davon House - 29, 8th season, 45 starts, $720K Salary
In a weird turn of events, Davon House has gone from starting 12 games at corner in Green Bay to a fringe roster player. More than ever before in the McCarthy era, the Packers have young, growing depth in the secondary. There's about nine or ten corners who are realistically good enough to make an active roster. House, although often receiving above-average grades from Pro Football Focus, received a "D" grade for the season in my Packers grades. With younger options like Josh Hawkins, Lenzy Pipkins and Donatello Brown fighting for a roster spot, House may not even make the roster. He's good enough to make it, but he's 29 and not getting any better.
Quinten Rollins - 26, 4th season, 15 starts, $1.19M Salary
Rollins was arguably the worst performer in the preseason opener against Tennessee. Many scouts are claiming he's playing his way off the team. He's 26, injury-prone, and heading into the last year of his contract. The former second-rounder has never reached the hype, but that's what you get from drafting a guy who only played one year of college football to solve all your secondary problems (I'm looking at you, Ted Thompson). I'd be more surprised if Rollins makes the cut than if he misses it.
Demetri Goodson - 29, 5th season, 3 starts, $790K Salary
Goodson has quietly been on the team for 5 seasons. Yes, you're reading that correctly, he's been in Green Bay since 2014. Goodson's the perennial fringe roster corner, and at 29, we've seen what we're going to get from Goodson. In fact, after missing all of 2017 with multiple different injuries, there's a good chance we've already seen the best Goodson will ever have to offer. Youth is on the rise at corner, and there really isn't any reason to keep him on the active roster or the practice squad. His experience may give another team a reason to give him a shot as their fringe corner, but he's run that role into the ground in Green Bay.
Josh Hawkins - 25, 3rd season, 3 starts, $631K Salary
Hawkins is more experienced than Lenzy Pipkins and Donatello Brown, and he was okay in 15 games and 3 surprise starts last year. That being said, it's safe to say Pipkins looked better last December and still looks better in camp. He's younger than Quinten Rollins, Davon House and Demetri Goodson, something that could play a factor when it's time to make cuts. Big plays in training camp was the reason Josh Hawkins made the active roster as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and to completely secure a roster spot, he'll have to do the same over the next few weeks.
Lenzy Pipkins - 24, 2nd season, 1 start, $557K Salary
If you check Packers twitter, there's a big trend of "Pipkins over Rollins". I would have to agree. Pipkins is only 24 and showed excellent bursts of speed in the slot last December, both in coverage and while blitzing. A few Packers experts claim Pipkins is the best tackling Corner on the roster. If he misses the cut, there's a very good chance Green Bay could bring him back on the practice squad. He's better than Donatello Brown and Herb Waters, younger than Quinten Rollins, Davon House and Demetri Goodson, and played better than Josh Hawkins while bearing similar reps late last season. I wouldn't bet against this guy making the active roster again.
Donatello Brown - 27, 2nd season, 0 starts, $555K Salary
Brown was promoted from the practice squad mid-November last year and recorded zero stats in the four games he played in. In another year, or on another team, he'd be a shoo-in to make the practice squad again. However, the Cornerback talent pool, especially young talent, is as large as it's ever been in Green Bay. I'd expect Brown to get another shot at a practice squad, just not in Green Bay. Being 27 and competing against undrafted guys in their early 20's doesn't help his case.
Herb Waters - 25, 3rd season, 0 starts, $480K Salary
Waters was an undrafted Wide Receiver out of Miami in 2016, and defensive backs coach Joe Whitt Jr. convinced him to switch to Cornerback. Green Bay had a ton of young receiving options, but the injuries were piling up at corner so quickly, Waters was actually promoted to the active roster for the last game of the season in 2016. A shoulder injury in camp last year kept him out for all of 2017. This year, he has even more competition, so much that a practice squad spot isn't even a guarantee. However, he's looked better than Donatello Brown in camp, and the rapport between him and Whitt is strong.
SUMMARY:
Tramon Williams: Starting Cornerback
Jaire Alexander: Slot Cornerback
Josh Jackson: CB2/CB3, Nickel Cornerback
Kevin King: CB2/CB3, press specialist
Davon House: Better-than-not odds of making the cut
Quinten Rollins: 50/50 odds of making the cut
Demetri Goodson: Misses the cut, mediocre odds of being claimed off waivers elsewhere
Josh Hawkins: Dark horse to make the cut, excellent practice squad candidate
Lenzy Pipkins: 50/50 odds of making the cut, ideal practice squad candidate if he gets cut
Donatello Brown: Misses the cut, mediocre odds of making it on another practice squad
Herb Waters: Misses the cut, decent practice squad candidate
