With Money to Spend, Packers Reportedly Bringing Back Douglas

The Green Bay Packers could have the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL with Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How will the Green Bay Packers win games without Davante Adams?

By playing defense.

Having traded Adams to the Las Vegas, the Packers – now flush with cap money after eliminating his $20.1 franchise tag from the ledger – intend to re-sign cornerback Rasul Douglas, according to ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini. The signing will happen, she said, once the trade is official and the money is off the cap.

It was the hoped-for outcome for Douglas, if not the expected one. “They don’t seem interested anymore,” a source close to Douglas said this week. Just when it looked like the door was closed after the team used up most of its cap space by re-signing De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers made the stunning decision to trade the All-Pro Adams.

“Of course,” Douglas said at the end of the season about his desire to return to Green Bay. “I built a family here. I’ve still got some unfinished business to handle. Of course, I want to be here. But I don’t think that’s all my decision to make.”

Assuming the deal is finalized, the Packers would line up with a cornerback corps of star Jaire Alexander, standout rookie Eric Stokes and Douglas, who rescued the Packers with five interceptions last season. That might be the best trio in the NFL.

“Rasul’s another great addition to our 2021 team and we’d love to have Rasul back,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “He’s been in this league for a little while and had some success, but what he did for us this year, specifically when we had some injuries to Jaire and stuff, it just really solidified our football team, especially on defense moving forward. Obviously, the big plays that he had – the big, splash plays – but he did stuff for us on teams, he did stuff in the run game that maybe don’t make the headlines. We’d love to have Rasul back.”

After Alexander suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4, the Packers desperately needed a cornerback. They tried to acquire former All-Pro Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots. Not long after the Panthers announced they had brought home the South Carolina native, the Packers announced they had signed Douglas off the Cardinals’ practice squad.

In the history of teams poaching players off practice squads, it’s hard to believe there was more of an impact transaction.

Douglas played in 12 games, beginning with the Oct. 17 game against Chicago. Isaac Yiadom started that game and was benched after a poor opening series. Douglas, with the Packers for just 11 days at the time, replaced him in the lineup.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Starting only nine games, Douglas led the team and tied for fourth in the NFL in interceptions. They weren’t garbage-time, stat-padding plays, either. Douglas saved the game at Arizona with an end-zone interception. He might have saved the game against Cleveland with an interception in the final minute. He had pick-sixes in home victories over the Rams and Bears.

“What a great story,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after the Arizona game. “How special is this game? Guy’s on the street, comes in, starts for us, finishes the game out for us. Amazing.”

“Blessed. Blessed. Blessed, man,” Douglas said that night. “You’re in a crazy mental state being in the league five years, never been on a practice squad before. And then one day, you’re just on a practice squad, you feel like you’re working for nothing, and then you get a call and you’re somewhere else, and you’re playing. So, I’m just thankful.”

Of 88 cornerbacks to play at least 50 percent of the defensive snaps, he finished second in passer rating (51.9), seventh in catch percentage (52.2), 11th in forced incompletion percentage (15.0) and 13th in snaps per reception (13.3), according to Pro Football Focus. He arguably was the best player on special teams, as well.

In a span of less than six months, Douglas’ career sounded a bit like a Johnny Cash song.

He’d been everywhere, man.

While Douglas hasn’t played for Spirit Lake, Grand Lake, Devils Lake or Crater Lake, he has spent time in Las Vegas, Houston, Arizona and, now, Green Bay, for Pete’s sake.

A third-round pick by Philadelphia in 2017, Douglas played in 46 games with 18 starts during three seasons with the Eagles. He failed to stick for a fourth season, though. Released at the end of training camp, he was claimed off waivers by Carolina, for which he started a career-high 11 games last season.

A free agent this past offseason, Douglas signed with the Raiders but was released toward the end of training camp. He spent a few days with the Texans as nothing more than a camp body to get through the preseason finale. A few days later, he signed to the Cardinals’ practice squad.

“It’s crazy how that happens in this league,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said at one point.

After the Rams game, coach Matt LaFleur had Douglas address the locker room.

“I just told them that I appreciate all you guys in here,” Douglas said. “Y’all made me feel like this was home. And that’s a good feeling to have, you know what I’m saying?”