The Green Bay Packers cornerback room has been a hot topic of conversation this offseason. There was the initial shock that they chose to bring back Kevin King. We would all wonder how they would go about trying to upgrade the position this offseason. And now, two big questions that remain are, who will be CB2 and who will take the bulk of the snaps from the slot?

But on top of the obvious, there is also a roster spot or two up for grabs this summer. Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Eric Stokes will all be on the roster. I’m confident that Chandon Sullivan will be as well. I also believe Shemar Jean-Charles has a good chance, given his special teams ability.

After that is where things get interesting. Josh Jackson, Ka’dar Hollman, and Stanford Samuels will all be battling for a roster spot, as will Kabion Ento, someone who we haven’t heard much about recently, but also someone that I believe will make the final 53-man roster.

Ento was an undrafted rookie in 2019 out of Colorado, where he actually played receiver. Over 20 career games with the Buffalo, Ento tallied 335 receiving yards at 16.8 yards per catch and with two touchdowns. However, once he signed with the Packers, he was converted to cornerback, where he brings impressive size and athleticism to the position.

At his Pro-Day, Ento measured in at just over 6’1” and 187 pounds — excellent size for a corner — and posted a 41 inch vertical, 11’01” in the broad jump, and a 4.54 40-yard dash, including a 1.53 second 10-yard split.

As Ento made the transition from receiver to corner, 2019 was essentially a redshirt year for him as he spent it on the practice squad. However, that wasn’t before he consistently made plays throughout training camp.

“I’m starting to feel like a DB,” Ento said via Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes, it’s frustrating when you know your foot wasn’t in the right place or you have bad eyes, but it’s all starting to come together. I understand it’s going to come with repetition and repetition. I’ve got to continue to be patient, continue to love the game, continue to love the process, and then everything will start coming around.”

Last summer, it was clear that Ento had progressed after spending the previous year on the practice squad. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken foot that kept him sidelined for much of the year. But even with the injury and the fact that we didn’t see him in 2020, we learned how highly the Packers think of him.

Despite the foot injury, Green Bay still strategically placed him on the initial 53-man roster to then move him to IR. The reason that they did this is that by having Ento on the final roster, it gave him the option to return once healthy, showing that the Packers wanted him a part of the 2020 team. And that speaks volumes.

More recently, at mini-camp a few weeks ago, Ento was taking his fair share of snaps as a gunner on special teams—a very important position on any special teams unit, giving Ento another way to contribute to this 2021 Packers team, and again, showing that the Green Bay coaching staff does think highly of him.

As is always the case, it’ll come down to how Ento performs throughout training camp and the preseason. This also isn’t to say that I expect him to be a regular contributor on the defensive side of the ball this season—although, with injuries, you never know.

But as the old saying goes, where there is smoke there is fire, and I believe there is quite a bit of smoke around Ento when it comes to making the final roster. Between Green Bay putting him on the initial roster last season so that he could return and what he can offer on special teams — an important aspect for any back end of the roster player — I would keep a close eye on Ento this summer and certainly don’t overlook him.