3 Packers veterans who will be cut before Week 1 and why

Packers veteran who will be cut No. 2: Corey Ballentine, CB

At the end of September last year with Green Bay’s cornerback depth being tested a bit, the Packers inked former Giants sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine to their practice squad. Later in the year, he was promoted to the active roster and then ultimately re-signed with the club in March of the offseason.

There are indeed questions still about the cornerback depth for the Packers. We have a good grasp on the starters with Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas manning the outside and special teams ace Keisean Nixon earning his keep to play in the slot. Then there’s Eric Stokes, who is on the PUP list to start camp, but will surely have a role to play in the secondary.

Beyond that, however, Green Bay is looking at a combination of Ballentine, 2021 fifth-round pick Shemar Jean-Charles, and seventh-round rookie Carrington Valentine, among others, to fill out the rest of the depth chart, whether they keep five or six players at the position for the Week 1 roster.

Point blank, though, Ballentine has not given anyone a reason to believe that he can be a usable piece on the field for the Pack. He’s graded out as one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL when he’s seen the field over his career according to PFF (subscription required), a massive reason why he’s bounced around the league to this point already.

Moreover, the upside of Valentine, who was an absolute steal in the seventh round of this year’s draft, in addition to Jean-Charles also being simply a younger option too makes either of those players better options to fill out the depth at cornerback than Ballentine. As such, it’s unlikely he sees Week 1 with Green Bay.