There is no question that Jaire Alexander is the best cornerback on the Green Bay Packers roster. Fortunately for the team, though, Rasul Douglas is a pretty good cornerback in his own right. The two are projected to, once again, be the team’s starting outside corners in 2023.
Of course, the player by which all cornerbacks are measured in today’s NFL is six-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time First Team All Pro Jalen Ramsey. The accolades speak for themselves; there is no more decorated cornerback in today’s game than Ramsey. However, Douglas out-performed him in a very specific, interesting way in 2022.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Rasul Douglas Was Better in the Slot than Jalen Ramsey
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To be clear, no one is saying that Douglas is a better overall defender than Ramsey. Douglas is an excellent player and, rightly so, a fan favorite. Ramsey, however, is on the same tier of defenders as Alexander.
That being said, Douglas was a better slot defender than Ramsey in 2022, according to PFF. NFL cornerbacks were ranked based on passer-rating allowed while playing in the slot. Douglas came in ninth; Ramsey came in tenth (Alexander did not make the top 10):
Rasul Douglas
- NFL passer rating allowed: 75.9
- Slot coverage snaps: 114
Douglas really has hit his stride in Green Bay after struggling to find his footing in Philadelphia and Carolina. He typically plays on the outside, but he performed well from the slot last season. He also did not allow a touchdown from a slot alignment in 2022.
Douglas has put up back-to-back career-high coverage grades in Green Bay — 77.2 and 71.5. He has also had some phenomenal ball production since joining the Packers, totaling nine interceptions and 14 pass breakups over the past two seasons. Douglas and teammate Jaire Alexander have solidified themselves as one of the best corner tandems in the league.
Jalen Ramsey
- NFL passer rating allowed: 79.7
- Slot coverage snaps: 136
Ramsey has been one of the best since he was drafted by Jacksonville in 2016. A true jack-of-all-trades, Ramsey has been able to perform at the highest level both on the outside and in the slot. Operating what was called the “star” role in Los Angeles, he played much more from a slot alignment for the Rams than he did for the Jaguars.
Talk about ball production… Over the past two seasons, Ramsey has had eight interceptions and 26 pass breakups. The underrated part of his game is his ability to stick his nose in the run game, which is vital for any corner in the slot, as they are much closer to the box. He had a career-high 91.8 run defense grade a season ago.
Now, the question is where will defensive coordinator Vic Fangio value him in Miami? My guess is likely on the outside but regardless, Ramsey paired with teammate Xavien Howard is going to be an elite duo for the Dolphins.
Interestingly, neither Douglas nor Ramsey will likely be starting slot corners when the 2023 NFL regular season begin. As mentioned, Douglas is projected to be a starting outside cornerback along with Alexander. Ramsey, as PFF notes, is a dangerous corner anywhere he lines up, but likely will be an outside corner as well.
Instead, the Packers are projected to start First-Team All Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon as their starting slot corner in 2023. For his part, Nixon allowed a passer rating of 85.7 last season while playing 244 snaps as a slot corner. He will likely see much more playing time than that this season, as he played just 289 total snaps on defense in 2022 (or just 28% of the defensive plays).
Rasul Douglas’ Production in the Slot Gives the Green Bay Packers Defense Options
One of the reasons why Nixon is projected to be the starting slot cornerback is because of the injury 2021 first round NFL draft pick Eric Stokes suffered last season. His recovery has been slow and he likely will not be ready for the start of the 2023 regular season.
That being said, he will [hopefully] not be out for the entire season. When he returns, and if he has not lost his blazing speed, the Packers can move Douglas to the slot (where he thrives) and insert Stokes as an outside corner. Nixon can then take a smaller role on the defense and focus more on what makes him most valuable to the team: his returning abilities.
Prior to his injury Stokes played 477 defensive snaps (89% of the team’s plays while he was healthy), and just eight of them came in the slot. If Stokes comes back is returns to his 2021 form when he allowed a 49.5% completion percentage and 71.3 passer rating when targeted, the team may have no choice but to move Douglas to the slot permanently.
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