The Green Bay Packers are going to be without the services of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander for a while. Earlier today, it was announced that Green Bay had placed him on injured reserve following season-ending knee surgery. Of course, Alexander had not seen the field since Week 11 and the first matchup with the Chicago Bears, and even then he was only able to play 10 snaps.
Alexander initially suffered his knee injury in the Packers’ final defensive play in their Week Eight victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. At first, Green Bay believed that he had avoided major injury and would just need a couple of weeks off. However, it was later revealed that Alexander had torn his PCL. He tried to rehab the injury so that he could get back on the field, but his knee just would not cooperate.
For the third time in four years, Alexander has played seven or fewer games in a season.
The Green Bay Packers Secondary Without Jaire Alexander
The Packers, of course, have been without Alexander for most of the season. He has only played in seven games, but it is really more like six because he played just 10 snaps in Chicago in Week 11.
Without him, the Packers have Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes on the boundaries, with Keisean Nixon playing nickel. However, they would prefer it if Nixon and Stokes split snaps on the boundary with Javon Bullard playing nickel.
Unfortunately, Bullard has missed time with injury, and now that he is back Green Bay is missing Evan Williams and Zayne Anderson due to their injuries.
In other words, Alexander was the stabilizing force in the secondary because defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley did not have to move players around so much. There is also a drastic difference between the way the pass defense performs with him than without him:
I don’t know how the Packers survive the NFC playoffs without Jaire.
From @NextGenStats:
Packers allowing 61.0 completion % and 77.5 passer rating WITH Alexander on the field in 2024.
Packers allowing 70.7 completion % and 95.3 passer rating WITHOUT Alexander on the field.— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) January 1, 2025
Going into the playoffs, the pass defense is going to need to be much better than it has been. One NFL analyst believes Green Bay should look to the free agent market for potential reinforcements.
NFL Analyst Urges the Green Bay Packers to Sign Xavien Howard
In a recent article posted by Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Khristopher Knox suggests that the Packers would be the ideal landing spot for free agent cornerback Xavien Howard, a former four-time Pro Bowler who did not get signed by any team this season:
“The Packers may also want to kick the tires on Howard. While their young defense has gelled under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, it has likely lost star cornerback Jaire Alexander for the foreseeable future.”
The problem, though, is that Howard has not played a single game this season, nor has he been signed by anyone. He worked out for the Cleveland Browns in November, but even they, now 3-14, did not sign him.
Last year, playing with the Miami Dolphins, Howard allowed opposing quarterbacks a 62.9% completion percentage and 81.3 passer rating when targeting him. He also had 12 passes defended.
Green Bay obviously feels comfortable with the youth that they have, but they do face an uphill battle going into the postseason with this group of corners.
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