Carrington Valentine Is Eliciting Sam Shields Comparisons

“Carrington Valentine might be a guy.”

Those were the words of The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman during the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener in Cincinnati. In fact, if you look up the seventh-round rookie’s name on Twitter, you will see numerous variations of that sentiment from every fan or beat writer who’s attended training camp.

The hype train left the station way back during rookie ball and OTA’s, with Jacob Morley of The Packer Report proclaiming that he simply doesn’t know “how they are going to keep this kid off the field.” Camp darlings are as frequent an occurrence as joint-practice fights this time of year (see: Romeo Doubs, 2022). But it’s time to start talking about Valentine playing a major role on this team, because Matt LaFleur already has.

During last Friday’s matchup, Valentine made four tackles, broke up three passes, and intercepted Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, earning an elite 89.8 PFF grade for the game. It was every Twitter post and practice highlight converted into real output in a game-adjacent situation. He excelled in press coverage, which delighted the army of fans who’ve criticized Joe Barry’s off-ball approach, particularly on high-leverage, short-yardage plays.

On carving out a place in the defensive rotation come Week 1, LaFleur said, “potentially” and added, “It’s trying to find those best five.” He went on to emphasize that “it’s only one game,” but Valentine is an “exciting young player.” That “best five” talking point is recycled from his answers to offensive line questions over recent weeks, as Zach Tom and Yosh Nijman have been battling for the fifth spot, likely at right tackle. But the hesitance is warranted, as the Packers boast one of the best cornerback rooms in the league. Not only are Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas an elite duo, but Eric Stokes, who stood out in his rookie season, will be activated from injury at some point. Keisean Nixon figures to man the slot, setting up Valentine for a ceiling of CB5. Surely there must be a better solution.

There’s a reason I specified that the Packers have a top cornerback room, rather than including the whole secondary. In stark contrast to the men on the outside, there is hardly any direction at the safety position. Darnell Savage, who was selected in the first round along with Rashan Gary back in 2019, has essentially flamed out over the past couple of seasons. His start to camp, and that of his position mates Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, and Tarvarius Moore, has contributed to a bleak outlook that originated back in April when Brian Gutekunst chose to prioritize the needs of edge rusher, tight end, and wide receiver with his premium picks.

Getting the best five defensive backs on the field could mean moving Rasul Douglas to safety. Last season, Green Bay tried moving him to the slot to make room for Stokes to start opposite Alexander, but he only showed flashes of his 2021 self once Stokes’ injury forced him back to the outside. However, I could see this position change being significantly smoother. The safety position plays to Douglas’ strengths; he’s a ball hawk and a playmaker. He said as much when asked about the logjam at cornerback, proclaiming himself “the starting safety” and emphasizing that people naturally want to see what a guy with his ball skills could do in a center field type of role.

Douglas enjoys messing with people, as evidenced by his tweet storm amidst the grand finale of the Rodgers saga. But there's a real discussion taking place about a potential position change. With Stokes still on PUP for now, that could set up a temporary CB2 run for Valentine. And when I say temporary, I mean an opportunity. An opportunity for the guy who has smashed every task put in front of him since he arrived in Green Bay.

Valentine’s performance last week ignited comparisons to former Packers star Sam Shields. It had a lot to do with the No. 37 and the similar physical traits, but also the context. Shields went undrafted in 2010 but signed with the Packers and contributed to their Super Bowl run. He proceeded to turn in six solid seasons before concussions sadly started to unravel his career. Green Bay selected Valentine in the seventh round of April’s draft, of course. The spectacle of Thursday and Friday was over. By the time the final selections were being made, commentators had moved on to other subjects. The draftees' names flashed at the bottom of the screen during Burger King commercials.

He didn’t arrive with a spotlight like Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, and Jayden Reed. But Valentine has outshined them all, which is pretty hard to do considering all the highlights they have put together thus far. His own coach at Kentucky said he’d be a project. But he arrived a prototypical Packer, with a 9.29 relative athletic score and a whole lot of heart. The hype train has steamed ahead for more than a month now, and it won’t stop until he does.