The Green Bay Packers are beginning anew with Matt LaFleur as the new head coach. A few players will be crucial to the Packers returning to winning games again—including Jaire Alexander.
According to Pro Football Focus, Alexander is Green Bay's X-Factor for the 2019 season. Alexander is heading into his second season after having an impressive rookie campaign in 2018.
“The Packers haven’t had a top-tier playmaker in the secondary since Casey Hayward left after the 2015 season, but that looks to be changing now that Jaire Alexander is in town. He contested a league-high 36% of his targeted throws as a rookie in 2018, and his incredible Week 8 performance against the Rams — when he broke up five of the nine passes that were thrown into his coverage — showed the impact he can have on the back end of the defense.”
It's true, Green Bay has lacked playmakers since Hayward left after the 2015 season to the Los Angeles Chargers. Since then, the Packers have struggled to rely on anyone in their secondary. Until now, with Alexander showing his potential as a star cornerback in the NFL.
In 2018, Alexander had 66 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception. During his time in college at Louisville, Alexander had seven interceptions in his three seasons there. The Packers decided to use the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft in hopes he could provide a spark in the secondary.
Now, in his second season, LaFleur and the Packers will rely upon Alexander to be a leader on the defense. The 2019 season could see a few players have breakout seasons with Alexander topping the list.
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