Certainly not the splash Packers fans were hoping for Wednesday afternoon after the Packers were rumored to be a potential landing spot for Stephon Gilmore, but they bolstered their depth in the secondary with the signing of Rasul Douglas. He spent last season with the Carolina Panthers after being a top-100 pick of the Eagles in 2017. He fits the mold for a predominantly zone scheme at 6-2 and 209 lbs, but lacking top end speed with a 4.6 40 yard dash.
Douglas does have plenty of NFL experience under his belt – appearing in 60 games and 29 career starts. His first two years in Philadelphia were promising, peaking with a 72.5 PFF grade in 2018, before a tough 2019 followed by an up and down 2020 with Carolina. If Packers fans are looking for encouragement about the signing, PFF actually had Douglas among the top-15 CB through the first two months of the season a year ago.
He finished 2020 with an overall grade of 60.2. For reference, Kevin King finished 2020 with a 55.7 overall grade, and Isaac Yiadom with a 56.8. He also finished 2020 ranked 3rd in the NFL against wide receivers that graded at or above 80.0 per PFF.
With Kevin King likely to return this weekend, the best guess is that we will see King and Stokes on the boundaries with Chandon Sullivan in the slot, and Isaac Yiadom coming in for dime packages. Douglas has 574 special teams snaps in his career, so he can likely fill in for Yiadom right away while he gets his feet wet in the Packers scheme.
And if Jaire Alexander’s shoulder injury keeps him sidelined for an extended period of time, Douglas will at least offer a slight upgrade for the Packers at CB3. He also will provide some experience to a CB room that includes 2 rookies.
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Jared is a rogue Packers fan from a Steelers family and an overall football junkie, including playing 4 years at Ithaca College. You can follow him on twitter at @JPrugar.
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