Green Bay Packers’ Surprising Cornerback Cuts Leaves Fans Scratching Their Heads

The Green Bay Packers delivered one of the most unexpected roster moves of the 2025 preseason when they released cornerback Kalen King, a decision that has left fans and analysts puzzled. Along with the cutting of Corey Ballentine, these moves have raised serious questions about the team’s evaluation process and depth chart priorities heading into the regular season.

Green Bay Packers Cut Ties With Kalen King, Other Young Corners

King’s release stands as perhaps the most shocking cut of the entire NFL preseason. The second-year player had transformed himself from a practice squad afterthought into what many considered a lock for the 53-man roster through an outstanding training camp and preseason performance.

The former Penn State standout’s journey to this point makes the decision even more perplexing. After being selected 255th overall in the 2024 draft—just two picks from being Mr. Irrelevant—King spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad without seeing game action. His college career had been a tale of two seasons: an All-American 2022 campaign followed by struggles in 2023 that tanked his draft stock.

A Remarkable Transformation

What made Kalen King’s release so surprising was his dramatic improvement in 2025. The numbers tell the story of a player who had figured it out. According to Pro Football Focus, King allowed just one completion on three targets for one yard during the preseason—a massive leap from his rookie showing of 8-of-10 completions for 66 yards.

“Yes. Definitely,” King said confidently when asked if he thought he’d done enough to make the roster after the Seattle game. “I felt like I did everything I could do, I controlled everything I could control. At the end of the day, the decision is not up to me, but what I can control is what I put on film and what I showed the coaching staff. I’m pretty satisfied.”

His performance against Seattle served as an exclamation point to his impressive camp. King delivered a crucial open-field tackle on quarterback Jalen Milroe near the goal line and recovered a fumble, showcasing the versatility and instincts that had defensive passing-game coordinator Derrick Ansley singing his praises.

“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 noted. “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.”

The Numbers Don’t Add Up

The Green Bay Packers’ decision becomes even more puzzling when examining the cornerback room they’ve chosen to keep. With King and Ballentine gone, Green Bay enters the 2025 season with six cornerbacks: Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, Kamal Hadden, and rookie Micah Robinson.

While this group has talent, it raises questions about depth and development. King had been working with the first-team defense in nickel packages late in camp, filling in admirably when injuries hit Hobbs and Xavier McKinney. The coaching staff had shown enough confidence in him to move Javon Bullard back to safety and insert King into the slot alongside the No. 1 defense.

The competition at cornerback was fierce, with Hadden also delivering impressive performances. Against Seattle, he was targeted five times and allowed zero completions, earning praise from head coach Matt LaFleur: “Kamal was sticky in coverage. He had to have had at least three PBUs that I saw, so that was exciting.”

Fan Frustration and Valid Questions

The fan reaction to Kalen King’s release has been swift and critical, and for understandable reasons. Here’s a player who showed tremendous growth, earned first-team reps, and performed exceptionally well in game situations—yet still found himself on the wrong side of the roster bubble.

Several factors likely contributed to the decision:

Positional Flexibility: The Packers may have prioritized players who can contribute in multiple roles. While King had made strides in the slot, other players might offer more versatility across different packages.

Special Teams Impact: Roster spots often come down to special teams contributions. Players who can excel on coverage units while providing defensive depth typically have an edge over pure cornerbacks.

Long-term Development: The coaching staff may believe other young players have higher ceilings or better fit their defensive scheme moving forward.

The Practice Squad Gamble

Green Bay hopes to re-sign King to the practice squad, but his impressive preseason film makes that outcome uncertain. Other teams likely took notice of his performance, and practice squad poaching is common when players show clear NFL ability.

“It would mean a lot,” King had said when asked about having a quiet Cutdown Tuesday. “Last year, my Tuesday wasn’t really quiet. Phone was ringing. But that’s last year. This year, I feel like my approach from meetings to my nutrition, to the way I approached practice and the way I’m intentional with everything, I feel like that all went into me having the camp that I had and the performance I had in preseason, as well.”

Looking Ahead

The Green Bay Packers enter 2025 with questions at cornerback that didn’t exist a week ago. While the retained players each bring strengths to the table, the depth behind the starters remains a concern. Nixon provides veteran leadership and return skills, Hobbs offers proven slot coverage when healthy, and Valentine showed promise as a rookie.

The real test will come when the games matter. If the cornerback group performs well and stays healthy, these cuts will be viewed as shrewd roster management. If struggles emerge, fans will rightfully point back to a player like King who seemed ready to contribute at the NFL level.

For now, Packers fans are left to wonder if their team made the right call on a player who appeared to have turned his career around through hard work and dedication. In a league where roster spots are precious and second chances are rare, King’s release serves as a reminder that sometimes exceptional improvement still isn’t enough.

The true judgment of these moves will come on Sundays, when the Packers’ cornerback depth is tested against the NFL’s elite receivers. Until then, the questions surrounding these surprising cuts will continue to puzzle fans who watched King transform himself into what appeared to be a legitimate NFL contributor.