After Two Years of Disappointment, Spot on Packers’ Roster Within Reach

At Penn State in 2022, cornerback Kalen King was an All-American. Entering the 2023 season, he was being hyped as a potential first-round pick.

Instead, 254 players – including 35 cornerbacks – were selected before the Green Bay Packers made him the third-to-last selection of the 2024 draft.

Following his stunning fall, King came to Green Bay with a “permanent chip on my shoulder,” but he failed to make the roster and spent the entire season on the practice squad.

Mentally and physically, King is the personification of the Year 2 jump. Having taken some first-team reps at practice this week, it appears he’s got a good chance to wind up on the right side of the roster bubble when general manager Brian Gutekunst selects a 53-man roster on Tuesday.

“I did a lot of different things this offseason compared to last season,” King said recently. “For example, I stayed in Green Bay. I was here doing rehab for my wrist, training with Marcus (Jones), talking to the nutrition guys and Colin (Whitaker) and just changing my nutrition habits, getting more sleep, just approaching my approach with meetings and walk-throughs. With everything, I feel like I’m more intentional, more dialed in.”

It’s shown. With cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Xavier McKinney out with injuries, the Packers proceeded with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine at cornerback, Javon Bullard in the slot, and Evan Williams and Zayne Anderson (and Kitan Oladapo after Anderson’s injury) as the safeties.

This week, though, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has given some snaps to a quartet of Nixon and Valentine at corner, King in the slot, and Anderson and Bullard at safety. That would seem to signal that King has put himself in position to make the roster.

What’s been the key?

“Really just trusting myself,” he said. “Knowing my job, knowing my alignment, knowing my keys, knowing my communication, talking to the safeties, talking to the people around me and really just trusting myself and trusting what Coach Hafley and Coach D.A.’s been preaching in meetings, and that’s getting the ball, consistent habits and me doing my job and staying persistent.”

Coach D.A. is Derrick Ansley, the defensive passing-game coordinator and, essentially, the cornerbacks coach. During the offseason, Ansley said the light had gone on for King and he “looks more springy in his step.”

That has continued throughout training camp. In particular, Ansley likes how King has adapted to the slot, a position that was new to him last year. That’s where he’s spent most of training camp.

“He has a good feel of where he needs to be in the run game and also where he needs to be in the pass game,” Ansley said recently. “That’s the knack for that kind of instinct. You can practice it all you want. Some guys have a better IQ than others in there and he’s one of those guys who can read it and pick it up quick. Just a Johnny-on-the-Spot-type player.”

With experience comes increased confidence. Last preseason, Pro Football Focus charged King with eight completions in 10 targets in 70 coverage snaps. This preseason, King has allowed zero completions in two targets in 42 coverage snaps. His red-zone pass breakup was one of the few highlights of the loss to the Jets and he wasn’t even tested by the Colts.

“I think he’s always had confidence,” Ansley said. “You see the confidence on tape coming out of Penn State. You see it last year in the preseason where he made some good plays. He just needed a year to develop and you’re seeing some of those dividends starting to pay off for him.”

The final tests for King are coming this week with a joint practice against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday and the preseason game against them on Saturday. Another play or two against their talented passing attack could clinch his spot in this camp-long battle.

“It gets me going, for sure, when I make a play,” he said. “I’m pretty passionate on the field, so when I make plays, I like to express that and I like to show energy after. That’s really just the type of player I am, so it definitely helps with my confidence.”