Packers try Bo Melton at CB, restructure defensive backfield after Jaire Alexander release

Melton previously served as a wide receiver and special teams contributor

The Green Bay Packers released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander on Monday, and following his departure, the team moved wide receiver Bo Melton to the cornerback position. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Melton impressed the Packers on special teams and that coaches were open to seeing him play on the defensive side of the ball. He was spotted on Tuesday taking reps with the defensive backs.

The Packers' cornerback unit is thin with Alexander out of the picture and Micah Robinson and Kalen King out to open minicamp. Melton's move adds depth, but it is not immediately clear how he will fare at the new position. He was a receiver and special teams weapon during his college career at Rutgers and logged just six tackles and a fumble recovery over five seasons.

As the roster stands entering minicamp, the Packers feature just three cornerbacks who played a snap on defense last season. Keisean Nixon is a returning starter, and Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine were part-time installations into the starting lineup in 2024. Robinson, a seventh-round selection, is the only draft pick to join the room.

Melton played in all 17 games for the Packers in his sophomore NFL season, primarily as an offensive gadget. He caught eight passes for 91 yards and took eight carries for an additional 54 yards. The 26-year-old has two touchdowns for his career, one of which came in the 2023 divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Green Bay scooped Melton up late in the 2022 season by way of the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad. The Seahawks selected him earlier that year with the 229th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft but waived him prior to the season opener and signed him to the practice squad. Melton went back and forth between the Packers' practice squad and active roster before he eventually stuck in the lineup with a breakout in Dec. 2023.

The shakeup in the defensive backfield comes after Alexander departed as a longtime stalwart for the Packers. He developed into one of the league's premier pass defenders but missed significant amounts of time in three of the past four seasons. He also received a suspension last year in Week 17 for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Alexander and the Packers initially agreed to explore trade options while they worked toward an agreement on a restructured contract. Neither of those materialized, though, and the team moved on from its veteran defender, who played seven seasons in Green Bay and was briefly the NFL's highest-paid cornerback.