Getty Brian Gutekunst looks on during a preseason game against the New England Patriots on August 19, 2023.
Whether or not the Green Bay Packers made the right decision in trading cornerback Rasul Douglas at Tuesday’s deadline remains to be seen. But the prospect of doing so — and netting a day-two draft selection in the process — was too good to pass up.
“It was a tough one because of what [Douglas] means to our football team,” said general manager Brian Gutekunst on Wednesday, November 1. Despite the four-game skid that’s dropped the Packers’ record to 2-5 with 10 games remaining, Gutekunst admitted that, initially, there was no desire to part ways with any players on their active roster.
That was when the Buffalo Bills called “out of the blue” a few days ago. The result of that phone call was Douglas and a fifth-round pick being shipped off to the AFC East powerhouse for a third-round pick.
“We weren’t really interested in doing it, but at the end of the day, the offer was kind of too good to pass up,” he said.
According to Tankathon, the Packers are currently sitting pretty with the sixth overall pick in this spring’s draft. In addition to what could eventually become a top-five selection so long as the Packers fail to turn around their fortune — and all indications are pointing toward that being the case — they’ll also have two second-round picks and another pair of thirds.
Trading Douglas ‘In the Best Interest of the Packers’
Shortly after Jaire Alexander suffered a shoulder injury that would rob him of the rest of his 2021 regular-season campaign, the Packers signed Douglas off of the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad. Douglas, who had spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and did his part in helping the team win a Super Bowl in 2017, was a journeyman. He played for four different teams before finding a home in Green Bay.
In an October 17 game against the Chicago Bears, Douglas replaced then-starting cornerback Isaac Yiadom after the Packers’ opening defensive series. He never relinquished his starting job and played in every single game for the Packers since. Over 28 starts, he registered 10 interceptions — two of which were returned for touchdowns — and 32 pass breakups.
Douglas, 28, was one of the team’s most vocal leaders and arguably their best defensive player this season. Rightfully, there just wasn’t any reason to move a player whose presence is as valuable off of the field as it is on it. However, part of Gutekunst’s job is needing to make the difficult decisions that preserve the long-term outlook of the franchise.
“We thought it was in the best interest of the Packers,” he said. “Long-term, it’s going to be in our best interest. Anytime you get a third-round pick that’s going to be within the top 100, that’s probably going to be in the top 50 players you have on your board.
“That’s something that was too good for us to pass up. We wish him well, he served us well while he was here. We’re excited about the opportunities it presents for some other guys.”
Valentine’s Day in the Packers’ Secondary
One of the players that Gutekunst presumably wants an extensive look at is seventh-round rookie Carrington Valentine. He pieced together a stellar preseason, but when called upon in the regular season, his performance has been sporadic.
He’s started three games and he’s allowed eight receptions on 13 targets, surrendering 142 passing yards and a 98.9 opposing passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. Valentine has yet to tally a single pass breakup while playing just south of 30% of the Packers’ defensive snaps.
The situation at cornerback for the Packers is murky. Alexander has already missed three games this season with a back injury — Gutekunst said on Wednesday that it seems that Alexander is nearing full health — and Eric Stokes is on injured reserve for another three games with a hamstring issue. Stokes began the season on the physically unable-to-perform list while recovering from a pair of injuries he sustained last year — he suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot and tore the meniscus in his knee.
If anything, Gutekunst’s decision to ship off Douglas is an admission of 2023 being a developmental year. It’s an opportunity for Gutekunst and his staff to evaluate the youthful talent on the Packers’ roster — evaluation that will allow them to make the off-season decisions necessary to field a competitive team in 2024.
For now, Douglas’ departure bumps Valentine into the starting lineup with Alexander on the opposite perimeter and Keisean Nixon continuing his role in the slot as the nickelback. With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua — arguably the best wideout tandem in the league — leading the Los Angeles Rams into Lambeau Field this Sunday, Valentine’s full-time gig could be off to a rocky start.
Said Gutekunst: “Losing a guy like Rasul this time of year is tough, but I expect those guys to fill gaps.”