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When the Packers traded away Rasul Douglas this week in a deal that was widely seen as an organizational waving of the white flag on the 2023 season, perhaps the only guy in the locker room who could take a silver lining from the deal was rookie Carrington Valentine. He had been part of the rotation in the secondary, and had started three games, but was mostly used as an injury fill-in.
Now, with Douglas gone to Buffalo, Valentine slides up the depth chart and will see more snaps, more consistently. It was hard to make a full assessment on Sunday against the Rams, with second-string quarterback Brett Rypien in the lineup, but Valentine held his own in the secondary during the Packers’ ugly 20-3 win.
He and star corner Jaire Alexander held the Rams duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp to just five catches and 80 yards. Valentine had three pass breakups, including a key one against Nacua after which he gave the Rams star a Dikembe Mutombo-inspired finger-wag.
(This is apparently a thing with Valentine. Video from a 2021 scrimmage at Kentucky shows him doing the finger-wag.)
Asked about it after the game, Valentine said (via USA Today’s Ryan Wood), “I’m here. Honestly. I watch film. I know what it is, and I’m here. I’m here to compete. He had a lot of hype coming into the game, and I took the challenge.”
Packers Appreciate Carrington Valentine’s Performance
Certainly, other Packers took notice of Carrington Valentine’s performance, especially the cornerback playing opposite him.
“Man, 37 (Valentine) played like a top-tier corner in the league and it’s exciting to see. He will continue to do that because that’s the standard now … I can’t be more happy to play alongside somebody like that,” Alexander said, per The Athletic.
Along with Valentine, another rookie also got the start in the secondary—Anthony Johnson Jr., filling in for Rudy Ford at safety. And while he did not have the eye-opening plays that Valentine had, Johnson was solid throughout the game.
“I talked to both of them boys,” star linebacker Rashan Gary said at his locker. “To understand, we trade Rasul and everything he meant to this team, for them to come up this week and understand our defensive standard and to understand there is pressure on this week—yes, there is pressure this week—and for them to come out and perform how they did, it was great for the defense and great for us.”
Still Leaning on Rasul Douglas
And give Carrington Valentine credit—he’s keeping the Packers’ lines to Douglas open. He is not shying away from the task of filling in for Douglas, who is one of the best cover men in the league.
In fact, Valentine said he plans to get in touch with Douglas to seek more input on how he can keep improving. When he was with the Packers, Douglas was a mentor to Valentine, and Valentine is not letting go of that relationship.
“Honestly, the way I took it as, I knew I had some big shoes to fill,” Valentine said (via Wood). “And I also didn’t want to let him down as well. So even though he’s not here, he still motivates me. I’m probably going to text him after the game. And from practice, he taught me how to prepare as a pro. He taught me a lot. I feel like he left Green Bay, and he left me, with a lot of good wisdom.”
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