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Packers Get Bad News on $18 Million Starter Hours Before Panthers Game
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- Packers Get Bad News on $18 Million Starter Hours Before Panthers Game
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Getty
Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon. Getty
Carrington Valentine could start for the Packers if Keisean Nixon is unavailable for TNF. Getty
The Green Bay Packers have opened the door to potentially not having one of their starting cornerbacks available for Thursday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.
Hours before kickoff, the Packers officially added starting cornerback Keisean Nixon to their injury report with a newly disclosed shoulder issue and ruled him "questionable.
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Nixon — who is in the final year of his $18 million contract — would miss his first game in more than four seasons with the Packers if he did not play against the Panthers.
Through seven games, Nixon has allowed zero touchdowns and just a 72.0 passer rating when targeted in coverage as the Packers' top outside cornerback. He was also selected as a Pro Bowl alternate for his standout season in 2025.
The Packers will announce their game-day inactives — and Nixon's final status — roughly 90 minutes before their 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff against the Panthers.
Who Replaces CB Keisean Nixon if Packers Rule Him Out?
GettyGreen Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon.
Nixon's addition to the injury report on game day is not necessarily a sign that the Packers won't have him Thursday night against the Panthers. At the very least, though, it raises that possibility.
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If Nixon does not play, the Packers would either turn to Carrington Valentine — a 2025 starter on the boundary — or offseason veteran addition Benjamin St-Juste to replace him on the outside opposite standout rookie Brandon Cisse .
Experience suggests that Valentine would get the nod in Nixon's absence. He lost his starting job to Cisse in training camp and has only played 67 defensive snaps through the first seven weeks of the season, but he made 30 starts and played more than 2000 snaps in his first three seasons.
While new to the Packers, though, St-Juste has started more games (47) in his longer-running NFL career and could also fill in — though he has played just one snap all year.
Packers News: No CBs Elevated Before Panthers Kickoff
GettyCarrington Valentine could start for the Packers if Keisean Nixon is unavailable for TNF.
While the door is open for Nixon to potentially sit against the Panthers, the Packers didn't seem to think it was enough of a problem to call up reinforcements at cornerback for Thursday night.
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According to the team's transaction wire , the Packers elevated edge rusher Arron Mosby from their practice squad to the game-day roster before kickoff, but it was the only move they made.
If Nixon's availability truly worried the Packers, then chances are good that they would have promoted one of their backup cornerbacks from the practice squad along with Mosby.
Green Bay has just five cornerbacks signed to its current 53-man roster, including Nixon, Valentine, Cisse and St-Juste. Kamal Hadden (seven defensive snaps in 2026) is on the roster and available to play if the Packers rule out Nixon in the pregame.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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