Benjamin St-Juste may have just found the ideal system for the best football of his career.
Just as with Zaire Franklin and Javon Hargrave, the Green Bay Packers have brought in cornerback St-Juste to solidify a new-look defense this season.
The Packers’ three biggest off-season acquisitions in 2026 were made to improve upon the 12th-rated defense from a year ago. Not only that, the trio all have direct or peripheral ties to new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Gannon was a defensive backs coach with the Indianapolis Colts, while Franklin was a linebacker there, and he coordinated the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, which included Hargrave.
St-Juste just completed his first and only year as a Los Angeles Charger and excelled in defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s scheme, one that relied heavily on zone defense. It is widely expected that Gannon will run something similar to what St-Juste experienced as a Charger, making him a good fit for Green Bay.
While he has not played at an All-Pro level during his five years as a pro, St-Juste may become an important complementary piece to the Packers’ championship puzzle.
St-Juste was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the third round (74th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has 70 games of experience under his belt, which includes 47 starts.
St-Juste offers physical attributes that have not been prevalent lately in Green Bay. At 6’3″, St-Juste may be the imposing, shut-down presence on the edges the Packers have been lacking.
Carrington Valentine (6’0″) and Keisean Nixon (5’10”) are currently listed as starters at cornerback, but they have nowhere near the size and length possessed by St-Juste.
According to Pro Football Focus, St-Juste is a highly-rated cornerback entering the 2026 season, just one spot out of the top 10. Here is his summary:
“Benjamin St-Juste is a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers who earned a 75.6 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 12th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 77.1 ranked 9th among 114 qualified cornerbacks. His run-defense grade of 66.8 ranked 37th at the position.
“He recorded 1 interceptions on the season. St-Juste broke up 3 passes in coverage. He allowed a 64.0 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. He surrendered 19 receptions in coverage. He also contributed 27 solo tackles in run support and open-field situations.”
While rehabbing an injury this spring, St-Juste was not able to participate in OTAs or the mandatory minicamp. Last week, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke about his excitement to get St-Juste on the practice field to witness what he can do for the Green Bay secondary.
“It’s a ‘wait and see’ approach, I am excited about the player though,” he said. “We’ve gone against him when he was in Washington, certainly what he put on tape last year with the Chargers I thought was impressive.
“He’s a really intelligent guy, so I’m excited about him. Obviously you can’t coach that size and length that he possesses, so he’ll definitely be in the mix.”
General manager Brian Gutekunst feels good about his team’s defensive backfield now that St-Juste is part of the plan.
“Some of our young guys, I’m interested to see with our new coaching staff how they adapt to what we’re going to ask them to do,” he said in April.
The Packers have their quarterback in place with Jordan Love, and they committed a huge amount of money to wide receiver Christian Watson last month. The offense appears to be solid, but the Green Bay front office realized they needed to address shortcomings on the other side of the ball.
Franklin, Hargrave, and now, St-Juste, are new and experienced assets at the disposal of Gannon and the rest of the defensive staff. If these players can stay healthy and lead the younger roster members to reach their potentials, the Packers may have what it takes to make a deep playoff run in 2026.
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