Keisean Nixon's Packers Job Isn't Safe, and He's Not Happy About It

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Keisean Nixon has done everything the Packers have asked. Played slot. Played outside. Returned kicks. Earned a Pro Bowl nod. Led the NFL in pass breakups. And now, in Year 8, he's fighting for a job he already believed he'd won.

This isn't a drill. The deeper training camp goes, the less guaranteed Nixon's starting cornerback spot looks. Despite last season's résumé — 15 pass breakups, an All-Pro return resume, and a reputation as one of the most versatile defensive backs on the roster — the Packers are making him earn it all over again.

Coach Matt LaFleur and the defensive staff have made it clear: the cornerback competition is wide open. Nixon, for his part, isn't exactly thrilled.

"I guess I'm being punished right now, I guess, I don't know," Nixon said Sunday. "I don't really worry about what I'm running in camp, ones or twos, I just keep my process and just compete — for real."

Nixon says no one in the building has explained what he's being "punished" for. But he's not shrinking from the fight.

"I don't view myself in no competition," Nixon said. "I come here to compete for myself. What they do and who they choose, that's out of my control. I can only control what I can control. Nah, I came from the bottom. So I'm here. Year 8. Since I've been here, I ain't been off the field. And anything they've asked me to do, I played at a high level. Whether it was getting accolades or anything, however it came, I showed up. So I always show up."

What's actually going on?

Nixon became a full-time outside starter last season, but the Packers used their top pick on cornerback Brandon Cisse (No. 52 overall) and signed veteran Benjamin St-Juste in free agency. Carrington Valentine, who started 11 games last year, is also in the mix — though a hamstring injury has slowed him in camp.

Last week, Nixon was working with the second and third teams. On Sunday, he was back with the starters — but also got flagged for pass interference on a deep ball against Matthew Golden. It's been a rollercoaster, and Nixon isn't pretending to love it.

"They ain't really told me nothing," he said. "Every day I find out a different thing, and I just attack it. I don't care what it is, whether it's me taking reps on special teams, whatever it is. I attack it, though. I'm here. Can't really run me off, so I'm ready to play ball."

There's also the tackling issue. Nixon came under fire last season for appearing to avoid a tackle near the goal line in the Packers' playoff loss to the Bears. He also whiffed on a tackle in the preseason opener against the Steelers. LaFleur didn't name names, but he made it clear what the coaching staff wants from its corners.

"We want to see ... obviously, it starts doing your right assignment, and then it comes down to your style of play," LaFleur said. "How are you competing? Going after the ball? Not only in the pass game, but in the run game as well? Are you sticking your nose in there? And we need corners that are willing and capable tacklers."

Nixon is scheduled to make $5 million this season — on the low end for a starting cornerback. That might explain why the Packers are treating him like a replaceable piece. But Nixon insists he's not going anywhere quietly.

He's been counted out before. He came from the bottom. He's still here. And he's ready to prove, once again, that he belongs.