Carrington Valentine enters last chance saloon with Packers in 2026

The 2025 season had the chance to be a breakout year for Carrington Valentine, who had flashed upside as a former seventh-round pick in his first couple of years in the league.

With Jaire Alexander cut before the season and Nate Hobbs’ lone campaign with the Packers falling flat due to injuries and subpar performances, the chance to really grab a starting role was there. Unfortunately, Valentine’s season was also a disappointment.

His percentile ranks among eligible corners in 2024 and 2025 show he was unable to take another step forward last season.

Valentine is not an easy target to pick on in coverage, as displayed by his consistently strong rankings in snaps per reception.

The issue in the past had been that he did not make enough plays on the ball, or prevent the passes that did come his way from being completed, even if they were not especially harmful receptions to allow.

That did improve in 2025, as his reception rate allowed dropped from 81.8% to 54.1%, which ranked 21st among 120 eligible cornerbacks.

Valentine was actually slightly better overall in man coverage than he was in 2024. On the flipside, he was much worse in zone coverage.

His passer rating allowed in zone coverage shot up from 89.3 to 117.5, and as he played a lot more zone coverage than man, that greatly hurt his overall numbers.

After giving up zero touchdowns and grabbing two interceptions in 2024, he allowed six touchdowns compared to just one pick last season.

The biggest issue with Valentine though, beyond his coverage, is his tackling, which remains a liability for Green Bay’s defense and has not improved over time.

Valentine’s 21.3% missed tackle rate was a career high, and his poor run defense and tackling is what prevents him from being a full-time player, even if he is a better cover corner than both Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs.

Although he did start plenty of games last season, the coaching staff seemed to want to bench him multiple times, before injuries to other players changed their plans.

Whether it is the coaches or the GM, the Packers have made it clear they care greatly about run defense from their corners. With offenses placing more emphasis on running the ball in recent times, it does matter, as teams will target weak links on the edge.

The Packers added three new cornerbacks to the mix this offseason, and that may be curtains for Valentine’s chances of winning and keeping a true starting spot, as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Unless he can finally make legitimate strides as a tackler, this is likely his final year with Green Bay.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Carrington Valentine enters last chance saloon with Packers in 2026

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