Ever since Matt LaFleur became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, there have been rumblings that his offense was not on full display during games. As it turns out, those rumblings were true. LaFleur recently revealed that they scrapped anything and everything that former quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t want to do.
Now that Rodgers is gone, everyone expects the offense to look very different. And this is not just because Jordan Love is the new quarterback, it’s because the quarterback isn’t Rodgers. LaFleur is finally able to utilize his full playbook without fuss.
This means that there will be multiple players that see action in different ways and in different positions. Josiah Deguara may finally be able to show his skill as an H-back, which is why Green Bay drafted him in the first place. Additionally, All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon, who is slated to be the team’s primary slot cornerback on defense, was seen practicing with the offense today.
How Could the Green Bay Packers Use Keisean Nixon on Offense?
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky shared the following on Twitter (or X, I guess it’s called now):
No, CB/KR Keisean Nixon wasn’t lost. He was supposed to be down with the offense catching passes.
Rare to see a green jersey with the offensive guys but Matt LaFleur suggested this offseason he might consider giving the All Pro return man some snaps. pic.twitter.com/nJeLre6ACz
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 29, 2023
As Demovsky notes, LaFleur had indicated earlier this offseason that Nixon might get some looks on offense this year.
But what would that look like? Obviously, if Nixon is playing both defense and special teams, any snaps that he would receive on offense would have to be very limited.
Due to his speed, Nixon would be a great diversion using pre-snap motion. Former Packers kick returner Tyler Ervin, who was a running back by trade, was used in a similar manner in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, for example, Ervin played 142 offensive snaps, but was only targeted 15 times and rushed just 13 times. For the vast majority of his snaps, he was put in motion to keep defenses off balance.
If Nixon sees any snaps on offense this season, this will likely be his role. His speed could distract faster defensive backs and leave Christian Watson covered by defenders he can outrun with ease.
Again, Nixon is playing both special teams and defense this year as he did last season. However, his role on defense is going to be much larger than in 2022. Any offensive snaps he gets this season will be few and far between.
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