Jaire Alexander is a Blue Chip, but Who Else?

Brenton Cox

Cox was an intriguing undrafted free agent that the Packers kept on the roster all season, but he never played.

Cox played a total of five snaps in his rookie season. 2023 was a true redshirt season for the former Florida Gator. 

His spot on the roster certainly is not safe going into 2024. With Kingsley Enagbare likely to miss time with an ACL injury he suffered in the team's 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers will be looking for reinforcements on the edge. 

Cox will need to have another strong training camp.

Verdict: Easily upgraded

Defensive Tackle

Kenny Clark

There might have been a stretch where Kenny Clark would have been listed as a blue-chip player, but those days look to be behind him at this point.

Clark is not a bad player. He has not even declined significantly. A blue-chip defensive tackle, however, is someone like Los Angeles' Aaron Donald.

Clark has done some good things in his career, but that's not a class he belongs in.

He's still one of Green Bay's premier players and looks to be a candidate to get a rare third contract from the Packers' front office this offseason. 

Perhaps Clark will find his peak form once again as he's likely one of the players Jeff Hafley will build his defensive scheme around.

By that very definition, he's a building block of the Packers' defense. 

Verdict: Building Block

Devonte Wyatt

Wyatt might be the most controversial player on Green Bay's defense.

His pressure numbers are good. He had 48 pressures during the regular season, and at times looked like the game wrecker Brian Gutekunst envisioned when he fired a first-round pick on the former Georgia Bulldog. 

He racked up 5.5 sacks in his first season as a full-time player.

Wyatt's inconsistency, however, rears its ugly head at times. 

He had 15 missed tackles and a missed tackle percentage of 30 according to PFF. 

He needs to improve significantly in the run game and finish plays.

If he does that, he has the possibility of cementing himself as a blue-chip player.

Consistency, however, has been fleeting for Wyatt. 2024 is a pivotal season for Wyatt. 

Verdict: Building Block

Karl Brooks

Brooks was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2023 season. Brian Gutekunst clearly liked Brooks enough to use a draft choice on him, but it's unlikely he expected the sort of impact that Brooks had as a rookie.

There were arguments to be made during the season he was the team's second-best defensive lineman behind Kenny Clark.

He'll enter the 2024 season with his spot on the team firmly cemented, and likely the first interior lineman off the bench when Jeff Hafley rotates his defensive linemen. 

Verdict: Building Block

Colby Wooden

Wooden had a blocked field goal in the Packers' 24-21 season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers in what was an otherwise forgettable rookie season for the former fourth-round pick.

Wooden is now in an interesting spot as the Packers transition to a 4-3 base defense. Wooden has the size to play a traditional defensive end, but spent all of his time inside in 2023. 

What will the Packers do with him?

If they add a defensive lineman in the draft, there's no guarantee that Wooden is a lock to make the team. 

Verdict: Backup

TJ Slaton

Slaton is in an interesting spot in the modern NFL.

He's a solid run defender. He led the defensive line with 35 run stops in 2023.

His impact as a pass rusher, however, was limited. 

His 15 hurries were the second-least on the team, and only ahead of Colby Wooden. Where does Slaton fit in the modern NFL as a primary run defender? He certainly has value. 

The Packers' run defense is abysmal with him, which leads you to wonder where they'd be without him. 

His ability in the run game means he's not easily upgraded, but he's also unlikely to be someone the Packers prioritize when he hits free agency a year from now. 

Verdict: Backup

Inside Linebacker

Quay Walker

Maybe this is a tough grade because Walker is clearly someone the Packers are targeting as a key member of their defense as they undergo changes on the coaching staff. 

Walker has had flashes of brilliance. His pick-six to open the season against the Chicago Bears led to optimism that his second year would be a strong one.

Instead, Walker battled some inconsistencies throughout the season.

His athleticism is not always apparent on the field. When it flashes, he looks like a great player. 

When he gets caught thinking, he's a step slow. 

“Quay’s a talented player,” said Jeff Hafley at his initial media availability. 

“As we build this thing, we’re going to make sure he’s in position to make a lot of plays. So, whatever we feel, as we piece this together, where that is, that’s where we’ll put him.”

That sounds like a player the defensive staff is excited about. 

Someone they want in a position to make a lot of plays.

The key for Walker is going to be to make them. Until then, he cannot be graded as someone to build the defense around. 

Verdict: Backup

De'Vondre Campbell

Campbell is a tough one to place because his name recognition alone is going to make him a starter on most teams.

That being said, he's aging and could be a salary cap casualty after two subpar seasons following his 2021 season that earned him All-Pro honors. 

Even if Campbell is in Green Bay for 2024, he was rotating in and out of the lineup by the end of the 2023 season.

Whether that's because of age or injuries does not matter at this point. The Packers need more from their linebackers, and Campbell has looked like a player who is losing his battle to someone that is undefeated, Father Time. 

Verdict: Backup

Isaiah McDuffie

Isaiah McDuffie is going to have a big role for the Packers in 2024, and it may not even result in him being on the field more often.

McDuffie has played for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. 

While Hafley won't bring the exact same defense he had at Boston College to Green Bay, McDuffie can help his teammates learn about how Hafley communicates and how he wants certain things done. 

McDuffie was rotating with De'Vondre Campbell by the end of last season, and could be in line to start if the Packers move on from Campbell this offseason.

That will mean more opportunities to make plays for the fourth-year linebacker.

“The years previous, I didn’t really play in the box that much,” McDuffie told Packer Central in February. 

“I was kind of on the line of scrimmage. That year, I got a chance to really be an off-the-ball, inside-the-box inside linebacker. It was my first time really doing it, so it was kind of a learning curve but, at the same time, I felt like they coached me up to a point where I got really comfortable after camp and everything. So, things were just kind of rolling, and I got a lot of opportunities to make plays."

Verdict: Backup

Eric Wilson

Wilson was set to be one of the heroes of a playoff game if the Packers had held on to beat the San Francisco 49ers in January.

Instead, his brilliance on special teams as he recovered Keisean Nixon's fumble was merely a footnote. 

Wilson has played sparingly as a linebacker since he got to Green Bay, but has been one of the team's best players on special teams.

He's a core special teamer, but not someone a team wants to be used all that often on defense.

That makes him a backup.

Verdict: Backup

Cornerback

Jaire Alexander

Alexander is coming off an odd season that saw him suffer through injuries and a suspension that was preceded by some bizarre behavior.

The Packers and Alexander have insisted they have moved on from that situation, and Alexander is set to be a cornerstone for years to come.

The positive for Alexander is that when he is on the field, he is one of the league's best at cornerback. His last two healthy seasons have resulted in him earning All-Pro honors. 

The passer rating against him according to PFF was 66.1 in 2022 and 54.3 in 2020.

Alexander is one of the best players at his position and earned every bit of the 4-year $84 million extension he signed in May of 2023. 

The key for Alexander moving forward is staying on the field because when he is on the field, he's the best player on Green Bay's defense. 

Verdict: Blue Chip

Eric Stokes

Stokes gets his own category for this exercise because his career at this point is a complete toss up.

Stokes had a really good rookie season before struggling in his sophomore campaign.

His career changed on one fateful day in Detroit where he suffered a horrific leg injury that caused him to miss the rest of his second season.

His third season was marred by injuries as he tried to recover from the leg injury, and hurt his hamstring twice. 

He spent the first half of the season on the PUP list before landing on injured reserve twice.

Stokes still has plenty of talent, but he has to show he still has the speed and ability that caused Brian Gutekunst to spend a first-round pick on him. 

Anything the Packers get from him has to be considered a bonus, but it'd be unwise to go into 2023 relying on him

Verdict: Unknown

Carrington Valentine

Valentine likely did not expect to be a starter when his rookie season began, but he quickly put himself in any conversation that the Packers were having.

Valentine was the star of training camp, he made what felt like one play every single day, but was relegated to spot duty when the regular season started.

He sat behind Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas. 

Valentine's opportunities would come quickly. 

After sitting the first two games of the regular season, he became a starter for the team's third game of the season against New Orleans.

He appeared to get benched during the team's 34-20 loss to the Detroit Lions four days later but never gave up a starting role again.

That was partially due to the trade of Rasul Douglas, and partially due to Valentine's play.

He finished the regular season with a passer rating against him of 80.2 and only gave up one touchdown all season. 

Valentine could end up being something more than a backup, but needs to prove his meddle now that teams know who he is. They'll also have a full offseason to study his flaws. 

Verdict: Backup

Keisean Nixon

Nixon is an excellent kickoff returner. He's led the league in yards-per-return each of the last two seasons and was selected as the First-Team All-Pro player at that position.

Nixon had some nice moments as the team's primary nickel corner, but also had moments where he really struggled.

He's set to be a free agent after signing a 1-year deal prior to free agency in 2023 and could have opportunities elsewhere to play on defense.

With the Packers looking to get better on defense, specifically in the middle of the field, it's unclear how Nixon will fit in under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. 

Nixon is likely better suited in spot duty, where he thrived as a defensive back in 2022. 

Verdict: Backup

Safety

Anthony Johnson Jr. 

Johnson Jr. is the last man standing of any players who played snaps of significance on defense a year ago. 

He was a former seventh-round pick who had some nice moments in training camp and hauled in one interception against the Los Angeles Rams in early November. 

Overall, Johnson Jr. is someone who can probably play a reserve role, but the team probably would want to do better if he were a starter. 

Verdict: Backup

Free Agent Safeties: Darnell Savage had some nice moments during his time in Green Bay, but never really grew from his strong stretch to close out the 2020 season. 

He is a backup who will likely go down as a disappointment as a first-round draft pick. According to ESPN, he's set to get a nice deal in free agency, it's unclear if that will come from the Packers. 

Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens all fall under the backups category. Both of them did some nice things in sporadic playing time, but the Packers should aim higher if the goal is to build a championship defense.