Paul Bretl | 1/4/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Keisean Nixon’s versatility and ability to play inside and out has helped provide the Packers’ cornerback room with some stability, with the secondary navigating various injuries this season as well as up and down play.
“I had a couple guys in college that have been a nickel or a safety, or a dime and a safety,” said defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley. “Never a guy that really went from cornerback inside to nickel. It’s a testament to Keisean’s ability to compete, because nickel is totally drastic, different from corner.”
Nixon was the Packers starting nickel cornerback during the 2023 season. However, in Week 4 of this year, we saw him see his first extensive action on the boundary as Erick Stokes struggled early on and Carrington Valentine navigated injuries along with up-and-down play of his own.
That playing time out-wide quickly escalated from Nixon only being lined up outside when the Packers were in their base 4-3 defense to being a full-time boundary cornerback when everyone was healthy.
This transition back to the outside, so to speak, began during training camp. As we got further into August, there would be more snaps during those practices for Nixon on the boundary–although he still primarily lined up out of the slot. But early on for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, they realized that Nixon had a unique skill set that would allow him to play both inside and out, which obviously, is quite valuable.
“When me and Jeff both got here, we’re both DB guys,” said Ansley. “We picked Brian’s (Gutekunst) brain on his skillset, and once we got on the grass with him in OTAs, I’m like, ‘Yeah. This guy’s got some unique skills.’
“So we started to dibble and dabble in that and we knew Bull was going to be a good player somewhere, and we kind of had an idea that Evan could kind of run the show back there with X, so to get our best people on the field, you kind of move those guys around in camp to see who’s your best five, who’s your best six and he’s done a really good job of investing in himself and learning that position and he’s going to get better every week.”
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While from the outside perspective, it looked like a big change with Nixon moving from the nickel to the boundary, for him, it was a relatively smooth transition as he moved back to what is his more natural position. With Las Vegas his first three NFL seasons, Nixon was a boundary cornerback. It was in Green Bay when he moved to nickel in 2023 where the change took place, but it was a move that Nixon was happy to make because it allowed him to see to the field.
“I played corner my whole career. I never played nickel till I got to the Packers, for real,” said Nixon at his locker on Thursday. “When I was with the Raiders my third year, I think played one and a half games at nickel and then when I got here, that was the only way that I was going to get on the field playing nickel.
“So I just had to learn it and then I started playing it but corner is my more natural position that’s where I want to be and they love me here playing it, so I’m comfortable, I’m fine with it, make plays at it.”
That versatility Nixon possesses has been extremely valuable for the Packers, particularly over the last month as they’ve navigated injuries at the safety position in addition to Javon Bullard missing time as well. In some instances, like against Seattle and New Orleans, Nixon went into that game knowing he’d be starting at the nickel.
But in this most recent game against Minnesota, where Zayne Anderson exited early which forced the Packers to do some shuffling in the secondary, Nixon had to move from the boundary to the slot mid-game.
Although, whether playing inside or out, a player is labeled as a cornerback, those are two completely different positions. From the slot, the fight comes to you a lot more quickly, and there is less time to react. Also, being able to help in the run game and be utilized as a Blitzer is part of the job requirement inside. Whereas out wide, those cornerbacks are on an island.
“Just the ball, the timing of the ball comes to you fast,” said Nixon on playing the nickel vs. the boundary. “You don’t really have time to look at–like read formations in nickel. You gotta react. At corner you can read routes and you have timing and breaking on balls. It’s just different.”
As the season has progressed and Nixon has gotten more reps, naturally, he’s steadily improved. Hafley has utilized Nixon as a blitzer, resulting in nine pressures this season, including one in each of the last four games. Nixon has also been a very reliable tackler, missing only eight of his 90 attempts, according to PFF.
Then in coverage, he’s done an excellent job of limiting explosive plays and YAC opportunities, holding opponents to just 9.1 yards per catch. Nixon has also forced six pass breakups and come away with one interception.
“I think what he’s done is, I think he’s taken his game up another level in terms of every year, he’s a guy that’s shown the ability and has gotten better and more consistent in his football in terms of him going out there and performing,” said Matt LaFleur. “So Kei is a guy that we’ve got a lot of confidence in, and he’s shown the versatility to play not on the inside, but to go out on the outside. And not everybody can do that.”
With Jaire Alexander undergoing knee surgery and likely out for the remainder of the season, Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes will have to play large roles in helping the Packers find any sort of success. And for Nixon, he’s going to continue to be the CB1 in that room, a role he will absolutely embrace, regardless of whether he’s asked to line up from the nickel or the boundary.
“He embraces the challenge, he wants the challenge,” added Ansley. “He wants the hard downs. He looks at himself as CB1, so he wants everything that comes with that. He’s definitely a guy that can go inside and outside, obviously. Just a testament to him how he works throughout the week to learn both spots.
“So we’re very proud of him. The fact he can do both jobs makes us deeper in the secondary.”