The Green Bay Packers are testing out one of their wide receivers at cornerback after parting ways with two-time Pro Bowl starter Jaire Alexander on Monday.
The Packers worked out wide receiver Bo Melton with their cornerback group during individual drills at Tuesday’s first minicamp practice, experimenting with him at a new position in a move that head coach Matt LaFleur said is about both need and intrigue.
“Obviously, he’s a real talented player and has produced,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “I just love everything about the guy, how he shows up every day ready to compete and give his best effort. … You can always expect a lot of great things, whatever it is he’s doing.”
Melton has caught 24 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown over the past two seasons with the Packers, but his chances of making the 53-man roster as a receiver are narrow in 2025 after the team drafted two rookies, including first-round pick Matthew Golden.
Even still, Melton has added value on special teams that the Packers don’t want to lose, prompting them to audition him at cornerback — where his brother, Max, plays — with Alexander no longer with the team and Micah Robinson and Kalen King currently out.
“His brother is a pretty good player as well and [we] just thought that, if there is somebody who can potentially do both, he would be that guy,” LaFleur said. “And I think a lot of it is just from his production on [special] teams and just his ability to go out there and make a play on teams.”
Bo Melton Could Avoid Roster Bubble With CB Move
Melton’s move to cornerback — something that LaFleur described as “fluid” — could end up as nothing more than an offseason experiment for the Packers, but it also might give the 26-year-old his best chance of making the 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season.
As things stand at the start of minicamp, Melton has a low chance of winning a spot in the receiving rotation. The Packers return all of their major contributors from 2024 — Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks — and added Golden, third-round pick Savion Williams and veteran Mecole Hardman Jr. to their roster during the offseason.
Even if Watson starts the year on the PUP list, Melton has little room to make a dent.
At cornerback, however, the Packers are much thinner. LaFleur acknowledged as much while talking about Melton on Tuesday, saying they have three cornerbacks who have played significant NFL snaps in Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs but are otherwise counting on a group of “young guys who are kind of just unknown.”
For Melton, the lack of cornerback depth could work to his advantage, but he must still prove to the Packers that he deserves a backup spot in their cornerback rotation, even if his special-teams and pass-catching abilities give him a leg up on the other competitors.
“I know obviously there’s a lot of attention with [first-round pick Travis] Hunter down there in Jacksonville, what he’s doing,” LaFleur said, “so we just presented it to him, and he said he is up for the challenge.”
Will Packers Add Another CB After Alexander’s Exit?
The Packers finally closed the book on Alexander on Monday when they released him from their 90-man roster following an offseason filled with trade talks and speculation. Now, the question remains: Will they seek more help on the market to replace him?
There is certainly a case to be made that the Packer should add another cornerback. The Packers have a clear top-three at the position and can employ 2024 second-round pick Javon Bullard in the slot role, but the depth behind them is shaky, especially after 2024 seventh-rounder Kalen King was spotted in a cast during Tuesday’s minicamp practice.
While Melton is an enticing experiment to resolve their depth issues, the Packers have championship aspirations in 2025 and may feel more positional security is necessary.
