It was a free agent addition that likely flew a bit under the radar, but in late March, the Green Bay Packers would sign cornerback Keisean Nixon to a one-year deal worth $1.77 million.
It wasn’t an addition that moved the needle, but Nixon was likely hand-picked by new special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, and he will also have the opportunity to earn some snaps on defense–where Green Bay will have to replace Chandon Sullivan’s 674 snaps from the slot.
The 5’10” – 193 pound Nixon went undrafted in 2019 and has spent his first three NFL seasons with Las Vegas, playing under — you guessed it — Rich Bisaccia. Nixon has 704 total special teams snaps in his career, playing on just about every phase from kick return to punt return, to both coverage units, along with being on the field goal block team.
Defensively, Nixon isn’t as seasoned, with just 274 career snaps, but he did spend most of his time in the slot this past season, which is where the Green Bay Packers are in need of some competition.
According to PFF, Nixon was targeted five times in 2021 and allowed four receptions but for only 21 yards–or 5.3 yards per catch. He also recorded one quarterback pressure as well.
While Jaire Alexander will certainly see his fair share of snaps from the slot this season, he is still going to play on the boundary. In fact, where Alexander lines up is largely going to depend on who the opponent is and where their top receiver is aligned. One week, Alexander could lead the team in slot snaps; the next he may barely step foot inside.
So that is one of the questions that will have to be solved this summer–who is going to take those slot snaps when Alexander is on the boundary?
When meeting with reporters last week, defensive backs coach Jerry Gray mentioned that the corners will be “cross-trained” to play both from the slot and on the boundary.
So in all likelihood, there is no one answer to that question–rather, it is going to be a group effort. We could see Eric Stokes with his 4.25-speed line up inside against speed threats, while Rasul Douglas could move to the slot against bigger pass-catching options, such as George Kittle, for example.
In addition to Stokes and Douglas, Gray would also bring up Darnell Savage and Keisean Nixon as options in the slot, adding that Nixon “played really well inside…and he’s great on special teams.”
Other options at cornerback include Shemar Jean-Charles, Rico Gafford, Kabion Ento, and Kiondre Thomas, but what Nixon has over each of them is experience. In addition to having Alexander, Stokes, and Douglas as options from the slot, if Joe Barry can lean on Nixon, that will provide him with even more flexibility to mix and match what his secondary looks like–which could include having Douglas take some snaps from the box as he did occassionally last season.
Now, with that said, I have to imagine that it’s Joe Barry’s intention to keep Alexander, Stokes, and Douglas on the field together as often as possible. So even if Nixon emerges as a reliable option, he is still going to be the fourth cornerback on the depth chart, and his playing time will refelct that. Not to mention that any potential playing time will still have to be earned this summer.
However, for a signing that didn’t draw much attention, Nixon could become a core special teams player for this Green Bay Packers team and hopefully help with the turnaround while also potentially giving this defense an added slot presence when needed. Ultimately, we will have to see how things play out over the next few months, but Keisean Nixon is going to have the opportunity to make an impact this season.
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Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.