Packers rookie Brandon Cisse already competing for starting job in Green Bay secondary

The NFL regular season is getting closer than ever, as training camps have begun for all 32 teams. There are several former South Carolina Gamecocks who are also starting their rookie seasons with their new respective teams, including Buffalo Bills safety Jalon Kilgore, Green Bay Packers cornerback Brandon Cisse and Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Nick Barrett. 

In Green Bay, the Packers are utilizing rookie Cisse a lot early on in camp. Due to an injury to starting cornerback Carrington Valentine, Cisse has seen a bigger role in the secondary, and per reports, he has been taking reps with the first-team defense. It sounds like he is performing well, too: 

Rob Demovsky of ESPN additionally reported that due to an injury to fellow Packers corner Keisan Nixon, Cisse was working out with the first-team along with Carrington Valentine. He also noted that while Valentine started in 11 games for Green Bay last season, the Packers used their top draft pick (No. 52 overall) on Cisse. 

The former Gamecock playing so well isn't all too surprising. He  has reportedly been working with the first-team defense since as early as minicamp in June. 

"It feels great and there's just a long ways to go," Cisse said of working with the first-team defense via the Packers. "Every day I'm working to get better. I'm nowhere near as great of a player as I want to be.

"It's always just working and working, finishing the little details. It's good to get out there, experience different speeds, get used to it, so it'll be fun."

Cisse played two seasons for NC State before transferring to South Carolina for the 2025 season. During the spring football season with the Gamecocks, he was named the spring newcomer of the year. 

South Carolina didn't exactly have the best season last year, finishing 4-8. But Cisse was a bright spot on defense, finishing the year with 27 total tackles including a career-high 19 solo stops with five passes defended and an interception. At NC State, he had 38 tackles with five passes defended and an interception across two seasons.  

Obviously it's still early in Cisse's time with the Packers, but it sounds like he could be trending towards seeing the field early as training camp progresses. As for the first game action that he might see, the Packers are scheduled to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first week of the preseason on Thursday, August 13. The Packers' defense will be led this season by first-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

Green Bay opens the regular season with an NFC road trip, facing the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13 in Week 1 of the regular season. 

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