Packers reunite with old friend in effort to fix lingering roster issue that’s become hard to ignore
The Green Bay Packers have brought back a familiar face to the secondary. On Monday, the team announced the signing of cornerback Corey Ballentine, who played parts of the past three seasons in Green Bay. He had signed with the Indianapolis Colts back in March, but got released on Friday, so general manager Brian Gutekunst […]
The Green Bay Packers have brought back a familiar face to the secondary. On Monday, the team announced the signing of cornerback Corey Ballentine, who played parts of the past three seasons in Green Bay. He had signed with the Indianapolis Colts back in March, but got released on Friday, so general manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t miss any time. As a corresponding move, the Packers released Gregory Junior.
Why the Packers signed Corey Ballentine back
Ballentine is an experienced cornerback and has been in the NFL since 2019. A former sixth-round pick, he has played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals. The defensive back had first signed with the Packers in 2022 and then agreed to two short-term deals with Green Bay in each of the past offseasons. Last year, he played only 6.98% of the defensive snaps. However, he was an important special teamer, on the field for 44.12% of the snaps.
Ballentine had a better year in 2023, when he played a significant number of snaps due to injuries in the Packers’ secondary and allowed a 79.4 passer rating when targeted. Last season, that number went up to 112.5. On defense, Ballentine has alignment versatility, even though he’s primarily a boundary cornerback. He’s played 591 career snaps outside, 338 snaps in the slot, and 48 in the box.
The Packers have handled significant cornerback depth issues. The team lost Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Robert Rochell this offseason. The biggest additions were free agent signing Nate Hobbs and seventh-round draft pick Micah Robinson. The team also moved wide receiver Bo Melton to corner, but an experienced player who knows the system and plays special teams is exactly what the roster needed—even though it’s certainly not a defensive game-changer as fans would hope for.
Green Bay’s cornerback room has Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Bo Melton, Micah Robinson, Isaiah Dunn, Tyron Herring, and Garnett Hollis. Undrafted rookie Johnathan Baldwin is also listed as a cornerback, even though he’s spent most of his training camp time at safety.
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