The Packers are entering the fourth season of the Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur era in Green Bay and either or both of those individuals could soon be on the hot seat. The team in this era under Love/LaFleur has always been the epitome of good but nothing special in my estimation. I really like the duo of Love and LaFleur and absolutely feel that they are a Super Bowl caliber QB and head coaching pairing. The roster has been Green Bay’s undoing in this era, and it will need to be better if the two plan on winning a Super Bowl together. Here I will go into detail analyzing the secondary personnel of the Packers as the 2026 season approaches.
Set to start at the first primary cornerback spot is veteran Keisean Nixon who might be better suited as a backup although he has been a solid starter for two years in a row. Nixon got off to a poor start to his career but then played at an elite level in very limited reserve snaps in 2023. Nixon then however regressed the following year taking an increased number of reserve snaps and has been a starter for the past three years since. Nixon struggled in year 1 as a starter in 2023 but has looked solid for the past few seasons since taking starter snaps. Nixon however has just been slightly above average in totality the past few seasons and is likely better suited as a backup.
Starting at strong safety is 2024 4th rounder Evan Williams who has looked strong in the NFL thus far. Williams has graded in the well above average range in terms of an overall defense grade among his peers according to Pro Football Focus in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. Williams has only put together one full season of starter snaps, and he could very well improve and take the jump to the elite range soon.
2020 2nd rounder Xavier McKinney is set to start at free safety for the Packers and is an elite player at the position. McKinney earned first team All-Pro honors in 2024 and second team All-Pro honors in 2025. McKinney has graded as a top ten if not a top five overall safety according to Pro Football Focus for three seasons in a row now. McKinney along with Evan Williams forms one of the best starting safety duos in the sport today.
2023 seventh rounder Carrington Valentine is slated to start at the other primary cornerback spot for the Packers and is a solid but not a spectacular starter for the team. Valentine has graded in the above average to well above average range among qualified corners in each of the past two seasons after struggling as a rookie. Valentine has never striked me as an elite caliber player although a good one if not a very good one. However, he is still a relatively young player who might still be in line to improve and could take the next step as a player eventually.
2024 2nd rounder Javon Bullard rounds out the starting Green Bay secondary and is set to start at the nickel cornerback spot for the team. Bullard really struggled as a rookie grading among the worst players at his position but then improved in year 2 although still grading in the middle of the pack among players at his position. Bullard, although looking decent last year, has really underwhelmed as such a high draft pick thus far and he will be expected to improve next year and start to live up to his potential. If he does, he could find himself transitioning to one of the primary cornerback spots, if he does not then he could certainly start to make the transition to a reserve.
From a reserve standpoint in the secondary the team has some talent that could provide high end reserve play and/or could eventually step into the starting lineup. Green Bay drafted cornerback Brandon Cisse quite high in the 2nd round of the 2026 draft, 2024 5th round safety Kitan Oladapo looked excellent in limited rookie snaps although dropping off in 2025, 2021 3rd round cornerback Benjamin St-Juste was poor in the first four seasons of his career but played at an elite level in 2025, while safety Johnathan Baldwin and cornerback Kamal Hadden have looked like starters in very limited NFL snaps.
The Green Bay secondary has a ton of promise but a ton of question marks. The starting safety duo of Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney is one of the premier starting safety duos in the sport. However, the team has many question marks at corner, as their first primary starting corner feels like a high-end backup, their other primary starting corner feels good but not great, and their starting nickel corner is currently a high draft pick who has underwhelmed thus far in the NFL. However, the team has a surplus of talent at corner although the talent is very unproven for the most part. If the young/talented/inconsistent corners play to their potential, the Packers could have an elite secondary but their secondary as of now has too many question marks. A breakdown of the Green Bay secondary can be found below heading into the 2026 season.
2026 Projected Packers’ Starting Secondary
LCB – Keisean Nixon – C+ to B-
SS – Evan Williams – B to B+
FS – Xavier McKinney – A-
RCB – Carrington Valentine – B
NB – Javon Bullard – C+ so far as 2024 2nd rounder
Notable 2026 Packers Secondary Reserves
CB – Brandon Cisse – 2026 2nd rounder
S – Kitan Oladapo – C+ to B-
CB – Benjamin St Juste – C+ to B-, poor in first four NFL seasons, elite in 2025
S – Johnathan Baldwin – B in 66 career snaps
CB – Kamal Hadden – B in 37 career snaps
