GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst believes the Packers have more cornerback depth than most NFL teams even after releasing two-time Pro Bowl selection Jaire Alexander.
But that didn’t stop them from exploring creative ways to boost that position as they opened their minicamp Tuesday.
One day after the Packers cut ties with Alexander, wide receiver Bo Melton spent part of practice working out at cornerback. Melton, the older brother of Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton, already has showcased his versatility with his contributions on special teams.
“We just thought that if there is somebody that can potentially do both, he would be that guy,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think a lot of it is just from his production on (special) teams and just his ability to make plays on teams.”
Melton has combined for 24 catches for 309 yards and one touchdown plus 11 carries for 75 yards over the past two seasons. He also had a touchdown in the Packers’ 2023 NFC divisional playoff loss at San Francisco.
Anything he could contribute on defense would help Melton distinguish himself in a receivers room that got crowded with the arrivals of first-round draft pick Matthew Golden and third-round selection Savion Williams.
“I think it’s just something we’re going to look at and see if it’s a possibility,” Gutekunst said. “There are very few guys who have done it in our league, there have been a few, and when a guy’s able to do that, it certainly helps your football team.”
Green Bay got accustomed to playing without Alexander when injuries caused him to play in just 34 of the Packers’ 68 regular-season games over the past four years. He appeared in only seven games last season.
Now the Packers know they won’t have him at all.
“He’s someone who definitely believed in me from the get-go when I got my opportunity. … It’s tough to see him go,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “I wish him nothing but the best, but right now, it’s moving on and seeing what’s next for our team.”
The Packers’ top three cornerbacks — Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs — have 91 combined starts.
Thirty-two of Nixon’s 34 starts and all 19 of Valentine’s starts came with Green Bay. Hobbs started 38 games with the Las Vegas Raiders from 2021-24 before signing with the Packers.
“Some guys don’t even have two, (and) we’ve got three really good starting corners that we really like quite a bit,” Gutekunst said. “Again, I think we have more depth than most.”
But the only other Green Bay cornerbacks with any NFL playing experience on defense are Isaiah Dunn and Gregory Junior. Dunn played 114 defensive snaps for the New York Jets in 2021. Junior played 18 defensive snaps for Jacksonville in 2022 and 93 more in 2023.
“I think we know that three of those guys have gone out and played significant snaps, and then we’ve got a lot of young guys that are just kind of unknown,” LaFleur said.
Gutekunst said there was no “bad blood” regarding Alexander’s exit and said the Packers made the move because of the 28-year-old’s recent injury history.
Alexander was due for a base salary of $16.15 million in 2025 and $18.15 million in 2026 as part of the four-year, $84 million contract extension he signed in 2022. Releasing him cleared about $17 million in cap space.
“I just think for what that amount of money is, I think that’s a lot to pay for a guy who hasn’t been able to get on the field,” Gutekunst said. “Again, it’s not his fault. It’s just something that kind of transpired, so we just kind of were looking for something different.”
