The Green Bay Packers added cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in NFL free agency. But CBS Sports’s Zachary Pereles still sees the position group as a major need. To fill that need, the CBS analyst sees the Packers considering a reunion with Rasul Douglas.
This week, Pereles identified cornerback as Green Bay’s biggest position to improve. Tasked with naming one free agent to fill the void, the CBS analyst picked Doulas, who played for the Packers from 2021-23.
“The Packers could look to improve upon the offensive line or the pass rush, but cornerback remains a major area of need,” Pereles wrote. “They signed Benjamin St-Juste, who had a nice 2025 with the Chargers but struggled before that. It’s still a need.
“Douglas played well for the Dolphins in 2025 and had previously been with Green Bay. Ponds was a national championship game hero. Green Bay does not have a first-round pick.”
Douglas spent parts of three seasons with the Packers. He’s only appeared in more games for the Philadelphia Eagles during his career.
The past two seasons since leaving Green Bay, Douglas has played for the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. During 2025, he registered 62 combined tackles with 13 pass defenses and two interceptions in 15 games for Miami.
With the Dolphins, he started 13 games. From 2021-23, Douglas started 28 games for the Packers, which is the most he’s had with any NFL team.
According to Spotrac, Douglas has earned about $26.8 million during his nine-year NFL career.
Could Packers Bring Back CB Rasul Douglas?
Even if the Packers agree with Pereles that cornerback is their biggest need, they have limited ways to improve the position through the draft.
Because of the Micah Parsons trade last August, the Packers don’t possess a 2026 first-round pick. Barring another trade, Green Bay’s first selection will occur at No. 52 overall.
NFL teams find plenty of quality players in the second, third and later rounds. But the chances of that happening are lower, and it’s much less likely a Day 2 or 3 selection will contribute immediately.
The prudent move for the Packers might be to acquire a veteran cornerback before the draft.
Anyone the team adds over the next month isn’t going to change the organization’s draft plans. But just in case the Packers can’t grab a cornerback in the draft, they’ll already have another veteran one if they sign a cornerback in free agency.
Douglas would fit that description, particularly as a player already familiar with the team.
The Packers nabbed Douglas off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in October 2021. During his first season with Green Bay, he posted 57 combined tackles with 13 pass defenses and a career-high five interceptions. Douglas took back two of those picks for touchdowns.
Douglas continued to mostly start for the Packers until the team traded him to the Buffalo Bills in October 2023. In 36 games, Douglas registered 32 pass defenses and 10 interception for Green Bay.
Who Could the Packers Target at CB in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Without a first-round pick, it’s hard to project who the Packers might target at cornerback in the draft. Again, the earliest that might happen is No. 52 overall.
But in his article, Pereles named a free agent and draft fit for every team’s top need. For the Packers, he picked Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Pounds to Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil. The Commanders drafted Sainristil at No. 50 in the second round two years ago.
“Ponds is a productive perimeter cornerback trapped in a smaller body, but he’s not lacking in confidence or coverage tenacity. He’s tremendously competitive and winning seems to follow him at each stop,” Zierlein wrote. “He matches press releases with good slide quickness and has the speed to stay in-phase as routes travel vertically. Eye discipline, instincts and trigger quickness fuel his zone work and catch disruption.
“Size limitations will likely push him to nickelback, where mismatches against bigger bodies and physical challenges from run games will test his playmaking/durability.
“Ponds is a likely Day 2 pick who will be an above-average starting nickelback in the NFL.”
In the 2026 draft, the Packers have one selection in each round until the seventh. In the seventh round, Green Bay possesses two picks.
Packers Could Reunite With $26 Million Starter to Fill Major Need