The 2023 season has been a tumultuous one for Green Bay Packers star cornerback Jaire Alexander. He has played in only three games because of a back injury and when he has been on the field, he hasn’t played up to the level we have become accustomed to.
Coming off of his second Pro Bowl and All-Pro Second Team nominations of his career, big things were expected from Alexander this year. He was supposed to anchor the Packers’ secondary as a lockdown corner, but that has not been the case.
In his three games, he has recorded only 11 tackles and two passes defended. He is currently the No. 56 ranked cornerback out of 115 qualified players on PFF with an overall defensive grade of 63.5.
It is fair to wonder if the back injury has contributed to his lower-than-usual performance. After playing in Weeks 1 and 2, Alexander has been on the field only once since, playing on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
With a bye in Week 6, many were hopeful that Alexander would be able to get back onto the field in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos but that did not happen. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t seem to really know what is going on either, providing a weird update on his star cornerback.
Day-to-day would normally lead people to believe he is close to playing, but no one has any real clarity on the situation. Alexander has played once out of the last four games in five weeks and his availability for Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings is certainly up in the air.
Luckily for the Packers, they have received excellent production from Rasul Douglas, who has stepped into the No. 1 cornerback role. Unfortunately, he has not received much help as Carrington Valentine’s preseason success has not carried into the regular season and Keisean Nixon has looked overmatched as the slot cornerback.
What looked like a strength for the Packers coming into the season has turned into a weakness, with Alexander’s absence playing a big part. For this defense to reach its potential, they need their star healthy and back on the field.
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