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Over a two-week span, we at Acme Packing Company are breaking down the Green Bay Packers’ 2017 roster and looking ahead to the free agency period in 2018. Today, we address the cornerback position.
The Packers have four cornerbacks with contracts that expire this spring, ranging from the most experienced player at the position to one who spent just a portion of his first NFL season on the 53-man roster in the fall. Here’s a look at these four players and whether we might see them back in Green and Gold next season.
Davon House
NFL Experience: 7 years
Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Expiring Contract: 1 year, $2.8 million
House’s one-year deal puts him back on the market again this spring, and a return to Green Bay seems entirely possible. However, that would likely come with a lower salary than what he earned in 2017, as his play last season failed to live up to even the modest compensation he was given.
Still, House’s veteran presence was discussed frequently as he took on a leadership role for the young players in the room and played through injuries on multiple occasions. If House would be willing to sign a deal for little to no guaranteed money, there would still be value in the Packers bringing him back for another year.
Demetri Goodson
NFL Experience: 4 years
Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Expiring Contract: 4 years, $2.323 million
Goodson failed to suit up for a single game this season, despite being activated off the PUP list midway through the season. His torn ACL was the cause of his delayed start to 2017, but he was injured in his very first practice back on the 53-man roster.
In total, Goodson has played 26 games in his four seasons, and although he made three starts in 2016, he has spent most of his career as a special teams player. It seems unlikely that the Packers would move to bring him back in 2018.
Herb Waters
NFL Experience: 7 years
Status: Exclusive Rights Free Agent
Expiring Contract: 2 years, $915,000
A converted wide receiver, Waters was spending his first full offseason at cornerback in 2017 — and by all accounts was looking quite good — until he suffered a significant shoulder injury early on in training camp and was placed on injured reserve. The team clearly thinks he has potential, however, and given his status as an ERFA, look for him to get a tender to keep him in Green Bay for next season.
Donatello Brown
NFL Experience: 1 year
Status: Exclusive-Rights Free Agent
Expiring Contract: 1 year, $465,000
Brown was one of the Packers’ initial undrafted free agent signings following the 2017 draft and started the year on the practice squad before getting a call-up over the second half of the season. As with Waters, Brown can be brought back on a league-minimum salary, and given his promising performances in the preseason the team should and likely will offer him a tender to keep him around to compete for a job with the 2018 team.