The little things that could soon become big for the Packers

Much of what happens early in an NFL season will ultimately prove misleading. However, some developments will look prescient later, including some involving the Packers.

The first few weeks of the NFL regular season deliver no shortage of highlight-reel plays, drama, and breathtaking moments. After a long winter and summer without real football, the arrival of the genuine article can feel like manna from above.

However, those early weeks don't always provide the most accurate reading of where a particular team, player, or even conference will go during the year. For evidence, look no further than the Green Bay Packers who suffered two of the most brutal defeats of the Matt LaFleur era in the 2021 and '22 openers but ultimately won 61.8% of their games in those years combined. In many ways, September and even parts of October represent an extension of the preseason.

Even so, not everything that happens at the start of the season proves to be a red herring. In some instances, teams drop hints at larger developments to come. Correctly separating the signal from the noise at this stage -- an admittedly difficult task -- can prove extremely helpful when charting the course of the weeks and months to come.

So, what breadcrumbs have the Packers offered so far?

Carrington Valentine, Eric Stokes, and "competition"

Just two weeks ago, it appeared the Packers had cemented their starting secondary, at least as it pertained to the cornerbacks. Jaire Alexander would take his customary spot along one of the boundaries while Keisean Nixon would handle the slot duties. As for the other starting corner, 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes effectively ran away with the job during training camp and the preseason, a development aided by challenger Carrington Valentine's injury-shorted August.

For the cornerbacks, the Packers' opener unfolded as expected with Alexander, Nixon, and Stokes appearing on more than two-thirds of the defensive snaps while Valentine trailed with just nine such plays total. However, their respective workloads flipped in Week 2 with Valentine making the biggest play between the two of them.

"Yeah, 'CV' is playing at a high level right now," LaFleur said of Valentine on Monday. "So, it's a competition. Everything's a competition. And it'll continue that way in terms of just those guys competing for snaps."

Does that mean Valentine, a 2023 seventh-round pick who impressed as a rookie, has usurped Stokes' role? A definitive answer will have to wait for at least another week, but this doesn't seem like a mere blip on the radar. Valentine missed roughly two weeks of training camp and did not play during the preseason, effectively wiping out his chances of pushing for the job. Now healthy again, the second-year pro might indeed get his chance to overtake Stokes.

Obviously, this has significant ramifications for the defense either way. Stokes has the athletic edge on paper as well as a fantastic rookie season on his résumé. Still, Valentine's athleticism stands out in almost any other corner comparison, and he has a more recent extended stretch of quality play. Moreover, Valentine's most glaring weakness -- a lack of takeaways that dates back to his collegiate career -- doesn't seem as problematic in a secondary that has generated five interceptions in two outings.

So, while Stokes could ultimately see more work this Sunday and hold onto his job in the weeks that follow, don't feel surprised if the situation fluctuates as Valentine asserts himself as a viable option. This looks like the corner competition the Packers signaled back in the offseason, it just happened to arrive later than expected.