The Packers have already made a trade, now a cornerback is the perfect target for another one
Damarri Mathis could be available.
On Sunday night, the Green Bay Packers sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to acquire offensive lineman Darian Kinnard from the Philadelphia Eagles. A day ahead of the roster cutdowns, though, general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn’t need to stop there. At this time of the calendar, there are always several trade possibilities on the market—and the Packers proved last year with backup quarterback Malik Willis how important they are.
Denver Broncos cornerback Damarri Mathis may be available, and he would be the perfect trade target for Green Bay right now. He is on A to Z Sports’ list of the best tradable players in the NFL.
Who’s Damarri Mathis
A fourth-round pick in 2022, Mathis has been a useful, rotational-caliber cornerback for the Broncos. So far in his career, the vast majority of his snaps (1,144) came as a boundary corner, but he also played in the box and in the slot.
He had a promising rookie year and regressed to some degree in 2023, but had his most efficient season in 2024 with a smaller role. Last year, he played 82 defensive snaps and was targeted only five times, allowing one reception and a 39.6 passer rating.
Damarri Mathis is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he got the Proven Performance Escalator, so his salary jumped to $3.406 million, and he’s slated to become a free agent next March. Because of all these factors, and because the Broncos have great depth at cornerback, trading Mathis could generate some return and free up decent cap space.
The Broncos have already traded Devaughn Vele to the Saints, so Sean Payton is more than willing to deal useful players if the compensation is right.
In the pre-draft process, Mathis had a 9.7 Relative Athletic Score, which included a sub 4.4 40-yard dash, something the Packers truly value at his position.
Why it makes sense
The Packers have only three locks at cornerback to make the 53-man roster, the starters Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine. Converted wide receiver Bo Melton and last year’s Kalen King also have a good shot. Other than that, nobody established themselves as impactful players, and the Packers would be smart to add competition to the bottom of the roster.
Kamal Hadden, Micah Robinson, Corey Ballentine, and Tyron Herring would all most likely be available for the practice squad if the Packers want them back. But adding an experienced and promising corner to the group would be smart if the compensation isn’t absurd.
Green Bay has been active to reinforce the roster in the margins, and this could be an intriguing opportunity to do this once again.
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