Packers Film Study: Benjamin St-Juste brings an intriguing combination of size and agility to the cornerback room
Packers signed him to a two-year contract.
The Green Bay Packers made their first external addition in free agency, signing former Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste to a two-year, $10 million contract. It’s not a move to completely solve the CB issue, but it adds impactful depth with a player who performed at a high level on a limited number of snaps last season.
A former third-round pick, he started his career on a high note but eventually regressed in Washington with a coaching change. He signed a prove-it deal with the Chargers last year, though, and thrived in Jesse Minter’s defensive scheme.
A 6-3, 200-pound cornerback, St-Juste is primarily a boundary corner and can add a new element to the Packers’ defensive backfield.
Hip fluidity
Usually, bigger guys tend to have less mobility. But St-Juste doesn’t follow the norm here. Even though his speed is just ok for NFL cornerbacks, his ability to change directions and adapt to the receiver’s route is impressive. That’s what made him allow only 50% of the passes thrown his way last season, while allowing a 64.0 passer rating when targeted. He also allowed 10.8 yards per reception, a solid number for an outside corner.
Agility to recover
Part of that fluidity mentioned above happens because St-Juste is a good athlete in terms of agility. Back in the pre-draft process, the Canadian registered an elite relative athletic score in agility metrics. The bad side of his athletic profile is the lack of top speed, which affected his game from time to time throughout his NFL career.
Catch point
St-Juste is an aggressive cornerback at the catch point. He’s had 32 pass breakups throughout his career, including 13 in 2023 alone. That eventually causes him to commit some penalties (29 in the NFL, 11 in 2023). But it’s something to control, not to take off his game, because in general it’s a positive.
Benjamin St-Juste isn’t a perfect player by any means, and that’s ultimately why the Packers were able to sign him on a $5 million deal on a yearly average. But he brings an interesting skill set to the table, combining size and agility — which tends to be a rare trait. The Packers needed depth and outside help, plus special teams viability, and their new free agent addition offers all those factors.
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