Packers' Carrington Valentine: Aiming to return next week
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Head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that the hope is Valentine (hamstring) is cleared to return to training camp practices next week, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.
Given LaFleur's comments, Valentine will not be available for Thursday's preseason opener against the Steelers. If the 2023 seventh-rounder is cleared to return to practice next week, then he could be available for the Packers' second exhibition contest against the Broncos on Friday, Aug. 21. Benjamin St-Juste and Brandon Cisse will work more with the first-team offense opposite cornerback Keisean Nixon for as long as Valentine is sidelined.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: To miss several more days
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Valentine (hamstring) will not practice the remainder of the week Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.
Coach Matt LaFleur says that the cornerback's hamstring issue is not a long-term concern, implying Valentine could see the field again as soon as next week. While the starting cornerback is out, Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste should see more reps with the first-team defense.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Starts seven games in second season
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Valentine finished the 2024 season with 32 tackles (18 solo), five pass breakups, including two interceptions, and two forced fumbles across 15 regular-season contests.
Selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Valentine has become a key contributor on Green Bay's defense. After starting 12 games as a rookie, Valentine made another seven starts this past season, seeing action on 57 percent of the defensive snaps as a sub-package cornerback. He was pressed into a bigger role with Jaire Alexander missing 10 games and parts of several others due to knee, quadriceps and groin injuries. In an ideal world for Green Bay, Valentine would likely be the fourth cornerback and a special-teams contributor, but he's shown he can hang when pressed into action.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Cleared for Week 5
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Valentine (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Rams, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.
Valentine missed back-to-back games due to an ankle injury but will return in Week 5. He'll likely start opposite Eric Stokes, as Jaire Alexander (groin) is inactive for a second straight week. Valentine drew a handful of starts last season, but he's played only 38 defensive snaps this season.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Good to go for Week 1
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Valentine (hamstring) does not carry an injury designation ahead of Friday's regular-season opener against Philadelphia, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.
Valentine was listed as a limited participant for Tuesday's practice and Wednesday's estimated report due to a lingering hamstring injury from late July, but he was a full participant in Thursday's session. The 2023 seventh-round pick appears to be good to go for Friday's game, and Valentine will provide depth at corner behind starters Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Limited at practice
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Valentine (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant at the Packers' practice Tuesday.
Valentine dealt with a hamstring issue throughout the preseason and he appears to still be working through it to open Week 1 with Green Bay. The cornerback will have two practices to return to being a full participant ahead of Friday's matchup with the Eagles in Brazil.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Earns starting role as rookie
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Valentine tallied 44 tackles (33 solo), nine passes defended and a fumble recovery over 17 games in the 2023 regular season.
The Packers saw enough from the seventh-rounder to give him a starting spot midway through his rookie season, and he held his own in the secondary. Green Bay will almost certainly be adding players this offseason at the cornerback position, so it remains to be seen what role Valentine will fill in his second campaign.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Moving to backup role
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Valentine will work as a backup Sunday against Carolina with Jaire Alexander returning to action for the first time since Week 9, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
Valentine held down a starting role from Week 9 to Week 15 while Alexander and Eric Stokes both missed substantial time due to injuries. However, both Alexander and Stokes are now healthy and will take the field together Sunday for the first time all season, leaving Valentine to work in a backup role. Valentine may also see some work in the slot, though he's played just 16 snaps there so far this season.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Likely to become starter
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Valentine is expected to take over as a starting cornerback following Green Bay's trade of Rasul Douglas, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official website reports.
A seventh-round pick, at No. 232 overall, in this year's draft, Valentine has appeared in all seven games, making three starts and playing 29 percent of the defensive snaps. With Douglas now gone to Buffalo, Valentine appears to be the next man up after he started in place of an injured Jaire Alexander earlier in the season. Valentine has 13 tackles (11 solo) on the year.
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Packers' Carrington Valentine: Lands with Green Bay
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The Packers selected Valentine in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 232nd overall.
Valentine was a three-year starter at Kentucky and is known for his aggressiveness and athleticism. He broke up 11 passes to lead the team in 2022, though his technique and route recognition are lacking. Valentine will start his career as a pro on special teams, but he could develop into more over time.
