Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur wants All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon to continue getting better in the return game and lock down a role as the slot cornerback, but he’s also open to using Nixon – who he called “a dynamic player” – on offense next season.
Might there be a package or two in the works for Nixon in 2023?
“I was joking with him, I said, ‘Hey, you never know, there might be some opportunities offensively.’ And I know he was fired up to hear that,” LaFleur said Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix. “If he can handle it, I’ve got no problem putting him in there in some situations on offense. But we got to make sure that we take care of that nickel spot first and foremost and continue to progress as a returner because he hasn’t done it very long.”
The Packers used a one-year deal to re-sign Nixon, who led the NFL in kickoff return yards and kickoff returns over 50 yards last season. His combination of straight-line speed, agility and vision made him the most dangerous kick returner in football over the final two months of the regular season.
It’s possible those same attributes could help LaFleur’s offense, possibly as a jet motion option or on other gadget-type plays. Getting the ball into his hands in easy ways and allowing Nixon to transform into a returner on offense could be one avenue for creating explosive plays or at least giving defenses more to think about in 2023.
First things first: Nixon needs to win the nickel spot. On Monday, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he’s expecting Nixon to get more opportunities to be on the field in the slot in 2023.
LaFleur also said Nixon needs a little more discipline as a returner, citing a few returns in the season finale against the Lions when he didn’t follow the return scheme.