Rookie Brandon Cisse Is Hijacking Green Bay’s CB Battle — and the Veterans Are Feeling the Heat
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Forget everything you thought you knew about the Packers' cornerback room. The depth chart has been put on a blender, and rookie Brandon Cisse is the one pressing the button.
When camp opened, it looked like Keisean Nixon had the left side locked down. The veteran played 1,000+ snaps last season and was the assumed alpha. The real battle? Right cornerback, where returning starter Carrington Valentine, free-agent pickup Benjamin St-Juste, and second-round pick Brandon Cisse were supposed to scrap for scraps.
Two weeks in? That whole script has been torched.
THE ROOK IS EATING
Cisse — taken No. 52 overall in April — has been running with the first-team defense at right cornerback since Valentine pulled up with a hamstring injury on Aug. 2. And he hasn't looked back. Day after day, he's lining up against Green Bay's top receivers and holding his own. He broke up a sideline dart intended for Christian Watson. He gave up a completion, too — because he's human. But the poise? That's beyond his years.
“Everything's a competition right now,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “We're going to put different guys in different situations in different spots and see how they respond.”
Cisse, for his part, is playing the humble rookie card — but his game is anything but.
“I didn't think like that,” Cisse said when asked if he expected to start Week 1 against the Vikings. “My job as a rookie is just to sit back and learn.”
Cool. But his tape is screaming otherwise.
THE NIXON SITUATION IS SPICY
Here's where it gets messy. Nixon — who led the NFL with 15 pass breakups last season — also led all defensive backs in penalties with 13 (including accepted and declined). And this week, he saw reps with the second and third units. A demotion? Maybe. He was back with the first team for the final practice before Thursday's preseason opener, but the smoke is real.
Nixon is in the final year of a deal paying him $5 million — chump change for a guy who wants to be paid like a No. 1 corner. The Packers haven't budged. And if they believe the rookie is the real deal, Nixon could be the odd man out.
St-Juste, signed to a two-year, $10 million deal in March, has also been impressive. Translation: Green Bay suddenly has options.
THE SPONGE MENTALITY
Cisse has been soaking up knowledge from everyone, especially safety Javon Bullard — another second-rounder who broke into the starting lineup as a rookie.
“He's really a sponge,” Bullard said. “He's going to make a lot of plays for us for sure.”
LaFleur echoed that, calling Cisse an “A-plus human” who loves football and has the “sky's the limit” ceiling.
Even defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is all in on the rookie's growth: “Mistakes are OK. Just don't make the same mistake again.”
Cisse might not walk into the season as a declared starter. But if he keeps playing like this, the Packers won't have a choice.
The cornerback room was supposed to be set. Then the rookie decided to turn it into a one-man takeover.