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Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine has picked up where he left off after a strong end to the 2024 season.
In his second year in Green Bay, Valentine’s play went up a gear down the stretch, with the corner grabbing two interceptions in the final four regular season games; one versus the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 and the other against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.
After not registering an interception at all in his rookie year, the Packers will have been encouraged by Valentine’s improvement in terms of ball skills in his sophomore season, and it appears he is keeping up the habit of finding the football.
Valentine has intercepted two passes already in the three practices to start training camp. On Thursday, he picked off a Malik Willis pass which was deflected into the air by linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who has also impressed in his early practices with his new team.
He grabbed another in Friday’s practice, once again from Willis after Julian Hicks fell down on his route, ending the two-minute drill. Valentine was active on Friday, showing some impressive coverage and breaking up a pass intended for first-round rookie Matthew Golden as well.
In more ways than just the interceptions, Valentine was playing some of his best football late in 2024. He had a four-game run at the end of the regular season which included PFF grades of 90.2, 77.5 and 74.7. He had an average grade of 76.2 during that run.
The memory of Valentine being victimized by Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert left a sour taste in the mouths of many Packers fans going into the offseason, but the progress Valentine made in year two, especially in the second half of the season, was notable.
He has allowed NFL passer ratings of 80.2 and 82.8 in his two NFL seasons, meaning opposing quarterbacks are not having much success when they throw his way.
Valentine has had a remarkable first two years in the league for a former seventh-round pick who was 21 years old when he was drafted.
Arguably Green Bay’s most gifted cover corner, Valentine is showing signs of hitting his upside in coverage specifically, although proving he is reliable enough in defending the run will still be crucial for him to truly become a full time player.
With Valentine, Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon comprising the Packers’ top three, they have taken something of a leap of faith with their cornerback room in 2025, and could really benefit from one of their projected starters making a big leap compared to their previous level of play.
Entering year three in the NFL and soon to turn 24, Valentine is probably the best bet to lift the ceiling of Green Bay’s cornerback group as a whole.
Through three practices – with the caveat it is indeed only three practices, and non-padded ones at that – there is reason for optimism that Valentine could raise his game even further in 2025.
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