The Green Bay Packers entered the season with three good to great cornerbacks. Jaire Alexander is the undisputable CB1, an All-Pro talent and the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. Rasul Douglas was the veteran, a solid fit for Joe Barry's zone-heavy scheme. And Eric Stokes was the third-year promising player coming back from injury.

But things have gone downhill since, and Jaire Alexander's latest shoulder injury has the potential to expose a severe lack of cornerback depth.

Alexander has already missed three games because of a back issue. He's apparently recovered from that, but he hurt his shoulder during the win over the Los Angeles Rams and missed both practices this week.

Two weeks ago, the Packers traded Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills for a swap of third- and fifth-round picks. It's a smart long-term move, but it undoubtedly affects the team right now. Additionally, Eric Stokes came back from PUP and got injured again after just four special teams snaps. It's a hamstring injury, and he was placed on IR — he has to miss at least three more games before coming back.

If Jaire Alexander can't play against the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, the cornerback depth may be a huge issue.

The top cornerback would be seventh-round rookie Carrington Valentine. He played well against the Rams in his first game as a preferred starter, but that doesn't mean it's not challenging for a young and low-drafted player to have such a big role.

Playing opposite Valentine would be Corey Ballentine. He is more experienced, and has been in the NFL since 2019, playing for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals. He was initially signed by the Packers last year, but started this season on the practice squad — he was promoted to the 53-man roster 15 days ago.

Keisean Nixon, who's been the slot corner since week 1, is available. But he has played at an average level at best. The Packers re-signed him mostly to be a kickoff returner, but the lack of a solid option at slot corner forced the team to use him there as well.

On the bench, the only other cornerback on the 53-man roster is Robert Rochell, whom the Packers signed off the Carolina Panthers practice squad on the same day they promoted Ballentine from their own PS. He hasn't been active for any game.

On the practice squad, the Packers still have some options. Innis Gaines has been a slot corner, but he can't be elevated for gameday anymore — if the Packers want him to play, they have to promote him to the active roster, and they have had an open spot since trading Douglas.

The other alternatives on the PS are Zyon Gilbert and Anthony Johnson, players who were added by the Packers over the last month.

At this point in the season, it's hard to find available useful players. The best free agents are William Jackson, Casey Hayward, and Greedy Williams, but it's unrealistic to expect that either of them would be ready to play in three days.

It's not a comfortable situation for Joe Barry, and they have to trust their young guys to step up.

Carrington Valentine has message for NFL after win over Rams

It’ll be interesting to see if he holds up.