Packer Central

All-NFC North Cornerbacks: Jaire Alexander Finishes Second

While Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander was a unanimous first-team choice for all-NFC North cornerback, he was not the winner of the overall vote.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander celebrates after last year's victory over the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander celebrates after last year's victory over the Chicago Bears. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Has there been a changing of the guard at cornerback in the NFC North?

For the last few years, the Green Bay Packers’ Jaire Alexander was considered the best cornerback in the division. And while he was a unanimous selection to SI.com’s All-NFC North Team, the Chicago Bears’ Jaylon Johnson won the overall vote.

All-NFC North voting was conducted by Bill Huber from Packers On SI, John Maakaron from Lions On SI, Gene Chamberlain from Bears On SI and Joe Nelson from Vikings On SI, who ranked their top four cornerbacks as well as the top four slots, with one point for the best player, two points for the second-best player and so on.

Johnson earned all four first-place votes for four points and Alexander was given all four second-place votes for eight points. Neither Eric Stokes nor Carrington Valentine received a vote.

In the slot, the Detroit Lions’ Brian Branch was a unanimous selection. Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon finished third. The Lions traded up with Green Bay to select Branch in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft; the Packers wound up with receiver Jayden Reed in a win-win trade.

Here are the All-NFC North cornerbacks, with capsules written by their respective beat writers.

Cornerback: Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

For someone who had only one career interception before last season, Johnson has come a long way in a short time. Graded as the best cornerback in football last year by Pro Football Focus, he delivered a four-interception season and wound up in the Pro Bowl games, with second-team All-Pro status and a $76 million contract extension.

There is no doubt Johnson does it with his technique, smarts and quickness rather than straight-line speed. His numbers picked up once he didn’t need to always be a cornerback glued to the other team’s top receiver, the way he was when he used to chase around former Packers receiver Davante Adams during his first two years. Improvement at other secondary positions let Johnson play the ball more than the man and helped his interception total climb.

PFF had him fifth among corners with a 50.0 percent completion rate. With one touchdown and the four picks, he was No. 1 with a 33.3 passer rating allowed when targeted.

Johnson is also a physical cornerback in run support when he wants to be, although his missed tackles climbed last year. His leadership in the secondary was apparent last season and will be even bigger now as the DB with the most scheme seniority after the team cut Eddie Jackson in the offseason.

Cornerback: Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers

Alexander remains the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history by average annual salary. Now, he needs to play like that again.

Alexander was an All-Pro in 2020 and again in 2022 but had a miserable 2023. He missed nine games due to injuries and a 10th game when he was suspended for being a self-appointed captain (and almost screwing up the opening coin toss) for a late-season game at Carolina.

When Alexander did play, he either didn’t perform to his usual standard because he was banged up or simply disinterested. After picking off five passes in 2022, he had zero in 2023. Only six corners allowed a passer rating worse than Alexander’s 127.4, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he did rise to the occasion during the playoffs with a big-time interception at Dallas and a total of 37 yards allowed in two games.

Alexander called himself “super-motivated” entering this season. After skipping the voluntary practices last year, he was fully engaged this year as the team transitions to new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Hafley is going to run a more aggressive defensive system than Joe Barry. Whether that means Alexander will be chasing No. 1 receivers remains to be seen, but the Packers will need Alexander at his playmaking best to make a run at a championship.

Slot: Brian Branch, Detroit Lions

The tone for Branch’s rookie season was set in the opener, when he turned the tide of a matchup with the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs with a pick-six. It was the first of several examples showing why the Lions coveted the defensive playmaker out of Alabama. 

Branch has the ability to play all over the secondary and was primarily the team’s nickel cornerback last year. Overall, he notched three interceptions and seven tackles for losses. Two of the interceptions came in the slot, though he also gave up five touchdowns in that role, according to PFF. His instincts and awareness are off the charts, which allows the Lions some creativity in how they use him. 

It’s uncertain exactly what Branch’s role will be in 2024, as he missed the spring while recovering from an offseason procedure. Coach Dan Campbell hinted that he may be positioned for more time at safety as part of the Lions’ reshuffled secondary, which included the addition of veteran slot Amik Robertson in free agency.

Regardless of where he lines up, there’s no question Branch is a blossoming star in the making. 

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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.