The Green Bay Packers came into the 2019 NFL season hoping that their defense could take the next step. They were excited about the progression and development that they would see from cornerback Jaire Alexander. While Alexander did have a solid season, it was not him that made the biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball.
Brian Gutekunst made the decision to go out and spend big money in free agency during the offseason. He signed Preston and Za'Darius Smith to big contracts to help bolster the pass rusher. Both players were among the league leaders in sacks all season long.
Adrian Amos was another name that Gutekunst spent big money on. Beefing up the safety position was an obvious need for the Packers. Add in the fact that the Packers drafted both Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage Jr. in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and you can see why the Packers took such a big leap forward.
All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at Alexander's season and place a grade on his performance.
Alexander was able to play in all 16 games this season, racking up 58 total tackles to go along with one forced fumble, two interceptions, and 17 defended passes. His interception numbers were nowhere near what fans were expecting. However, his play as a coverage corner was more than solid.
At 22 years old, the former Louisville star has an incredibly bright future still ahead of him. He is becoming one of the league's top cover corners and is still very young with tons of room to improve. Green Bay is in very good hands at the cornerback position with Alexander and Kevin King leading the way.
Mike Pettine has always been a fan of an aggressive and fast-moving defense. The Packers were able to bring in that kind of personnel for him and the results are what the team was hoping for. Green Bay doesn't have an “elite” defense just yet, but they have a good enough defense to get them a 13-3 regular season record and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.
Finally, let's go ahead and place a grade on Alexander's season, although this job is never an easy one. He put together solid numbers, but was not as big of a playmaker as many were expecting. Alexander deserves a good grade, but he doesn't quite breach the A threshold.
Jaire Alexander's 2019 NFL Season Grade: B+
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