What role will Keisean Nixon play in the defense?

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has been open about his desire to get rookie safety Javon Bullard in a position where he can use his physical tools near the line of scrimmage. Against the Rams, he used Bullard as the nickel slot corner in place of Keisean Nixon, who was moved outside to fill in for the injured Jaire Alexander. When Alexander returns this week, Hafley will have to decide whether to bring Nixon back in, stay with Bullard or rotate the two. Another option would be to move Nixon to where Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine are splitting shots. Stokes and Valentine haven’t handled it well and while Nixon isn’t as polished in terms of reporting as the other two, he isn’t afraid to stick his nose into the fray and enjoys challenging opponents. “Look what he was able to do,” Hafley said. “His coverage was tight. He’s been confused. He has been aggressive against the run. What you start to see when you watch the film is that he starts to play the human very well, which is huge to play both on the outside and on the inside. And he brings physicality from the corner position.”

Hafley wasn’t worried about opponents blocking his pass rushers

The Packers have seen opposing teams try to slow their pass rush with chip blocks from their backs and tight ends. Hafley said he employed some maneuvers to keep his top rushers from having to face additional blockers, but there were still instances where the Rams were able to slow the rush with their backs. One way to eliminate double teams is to rush more than four, but Hafley said he’s okay with his linemen drawing extra attention because it hurts the strength of the offense. “There are certainly ways we can help,” Hafley said. “You can’t do it all the time, but there are certainly things we can do. When we talk about pressure and sacks, if teams want to chip us here and there and use the back end in seven-man protection, and we only have to cover three wide receivers, then our winning percentage goes up. ”