Hardly anyone knew who Keisean Nixon was before the 2022 season started, but just about everyone and anyone associated with the Green Bay Packers knew his name by the time the year was over.

Nixon finished the year with an All-Pro nod after leading all kick returners in attempts (35) and kick return yardage (1,009). He was one of just five players to return a kick for a touchdown and also finished with the second-best kick return average (28.1 yards). Nixon probably would've led the NFL if the guy in front of him, Dallis Flowers, didn't have 12 fewer attempts than Nixon. 

He was so good that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur publicly admitted he and the rest of the staff should've gotten him on the field a lot sooner.

“I know, we’re probably going to get criticized for not playing him early, and that’s fair,” LaFleur said last year. “We should have had him in there earlier and we didn’t. I don’t think we knew what we had. He’s proven what he brings to the table. Can’t say enough about what he brings to this team.”

Now, the Packers are giving Nixon more opportunity and it's not just in the return game. Nixon is currently the No. 1 option at nickel, which is a very important position. So far, he's looked pretty good and he's giving the cornerback room yet another reliable body to help contain opposing passing attacks. 

Nixon at nickel also allows Rasul Douglas to move back outside, where he recorded five interceptions back in 2021. The eventual return of Eric Stokes will also give the team a big boost on the outside and it's looking like he could return as soon as camp starts. And, of course, there's Jaire Alexander, the team's lockdown corner, in the mix. 

In all, the Packers cornerback room has a legit shot at being one of the NFL's best and that's exactly what Nixon expects to happen in 2023.

"We want to be the best and we're going to show that," Nixon recently told reporters. "I feel like we have the room and the corners to do it. Especially when [Eric] Stokes gets back.

"It's going to be big. Y'all are going to see."

The Packers could really use a big season from their cornerbacks. Alexander returned to his Pro Bowl form after an injury prematurely ended his 2021 season and while Douglas regressed, a lot of it is from him moving inside to nickel (he still managed to finish the year with four picks, too). Either way, if Douglas can't pick it up, the team has Stokes to step in on the outside. 

But really, a lot of the success depends on Nixon and what he can do on the inside. Nickelbacks are more important than ever in the NFL and if he can't make it work, then the secondary could certainly be in trouble.

Nixon obviously has all the confidence in the world that things will work out, though. That's step No. 1. Now, it's just about making it happen on the field.

Packers DC Joe Barry entering make-or-break year

The Packers have a lot of questions to answer in 2023 and Joe Barry’s effectiveness as defensive coordinator is one of them.

Featured image via Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK