GREEN BAY, Wis. — Okay, maybe now Keisean Nixon is being punished.
The Green Bay Packers’ cornerback, who has been a starter in the secondary in each of the last three seasons, wasn’t only working with the No. 2 defense during Wednesday’s practice—at one point, he was running with the third-string unit.
Nixon opened 11-on-11 drills on the boundary opposite second-round rookie Brandon Cisse, who has been a fixture at cornerback and the only member of the depth chart who has run exclusively with the first-team defense.
Not long after, he was opposite free-agent signing Benjamin St-Juste with the second-string defense. That isn’t unheard of for Nixon or any of the Packers’ cornerbacks whose name isn’t Cisse—there’s been a rotation throughout training camp. Because Nixon perceives himself as the Packers’ undisputed No. 1 cornerback—and, in his defense, he certainly has been, but that’s more of an indictment of a lackluster position group than anything else—it’s that very rotation that prompted his comments about being punished.
“He loves making a headline, doesn’t he?” joked head coach Matt LaFleur before Tuesday’s padded practice.
“You guys will take it differently than me. The way I look at it is this—I guess our whole team is being punished, because everybody is in a competition. I’m a big believer that competition will bring the best out of people. I want everybody to play with a chip on their shoulder. If they feel they have something to prove, you’re probably going to get more out of them.”
Nixon has and will certainly continue to embrace competition, but if he wasn’t happy about spending time with the No. 2 defense, he has to be fuming after Wednesday. According to Pack-A-Day Podcast’s Andy Herman, Nixon went backwards.
Opposite MJ Devonshire Jr. in the Packers’ third-string defensive lineup, Nixon surrendered a substantial gain on a reception to second-year wideout Savion Williams, followed by falling while trying to cover an inside slant to Christian Watson.
Nixon has recently expressed a desire to sign a contract extension with the Packers—something they’ll have to work out with his representation, Tory Dandy—but at this rate, he’s more likely to end up as trade bait later this month than anything else if this configuration becomes a trend. That’s especially true if the Packers come away impressed with the play of St-Juste in their final two preseason games.
Carrington Valentine, who has missed the majority of training camp with a hamstring injury, has also thrown his hat into the ring as a suitor opposite Cisse with his return to team drills on Aug. 18.
Nixon may be on the heels of his fourth season in Green Bay, but he just concluded his first as a full-time starter as a boundary cornerback, and his struggles were well-documented as he acclimated to a foreign position. He was penalized 13 times through the course of the season—including being smacked with nine penalties in six games from Sept. 21 to Nov. 2—and surrendered a career-worst seven touchdowns. For perspective, Nixon had 14 penalties and allowed seven touchdowns in the two years prior combined.
One second, Nixon was leaping in front of a Caleb Williams pass intended for Cole Kmet and cementing the Packers’ Dec. 7 win over the Chicago Bears with an interception. The next, he was beaten downfield by DJ Moore for a 46-yard walk-off touchdown pass from Williams that completed the Bears’ miraculous fourth-quarter comeback. Such is life at the position—but Nixon faltered comically down the stretch of the season.
The former undrafted free agent became a liability, if anything. Over the Packers’ final five games, including their Wild Card loss to the Bears, Nixon allowed 15 receptions on 19 targets into his coverage for 200 yards and three touchdowns. If he’s going to be anything higher than the 42nd highest-paid player at his position, Nixon knows that the turnaround has to be drastic, especially with even more competition infused into the room.
It’s appearing more and more that a fire is being lit under Nixon. Competition has been the theme of the summer in Green Bay, but all that matters now is how Nixon can respond to what can only otherwise be referred to as a dismal practice. It’s certainly possible that Nixon running with the third-team defense is his response—there’s a realistic chance that it was his decision in an effort to gain more practice reps.
However, combining poor play with an outspoken attitude and unsavory words could create a cocktail that the Packers—from the coaching staff to the front office—aren’t going to tolerate.
“I love Kei,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “He’s been awesome since the day he’s been here. I just—you know I’m not going to micromanage what everybody says. If he feels a certain type of way, it is what it is, but I do think it’s a benefit to the team to have people that you feel are capable to go in there and play, and we’ll all be better for that.
“If it’s a corner, the offensive line, really every position—you better come to compete each and every day if you want to be out there.”