GREEN BAY – The NFL has taught Benjamin St-Juste plenty of lessons over the past five years, but perhaps the biggest of all has been the importance of patience.
As a cornerback, you can't force takeaways. You can only put yourself in the best possible situation and capitalize when the opportunity is presented.
After biding his time during the opening two practices of his first training camp with the Packers, St-Juste seized the moment on Friday when backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor fired a pass to Savion Williams on an outbreaking route near the sideline.
Watching Taylor's eyes to gain a step on Williams, St-Juste plucked the pass out of the air and darted to the opposite end zone for a likely pick six.
"The last two days they've been hitting us on a lot of like quick routes, quick games," St-Juste said. "That was like an emphasis that we had in the meeting room today, to read the quarterback drop step first to indicate if it's quick game or if it's a deeper developing routes, and I got the quick game."
This is the chess match St-Juste has learned to play since entering the league as a third-round pick with the Washington Commanders in 2021. While 6-foot-3 height and competitive speed gets your foot in the door, it takes more than traits to last in the NFL.
During his first four seasons with Washington, St-Juste recorded 206 tackles, 34 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, three sacks and interception while starting 45 of the 54 games he played.
Last offseason, the native of Montreal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers, a move that reunited St-Juste with former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
Once the second-rated recruit out of Canada, St-Juste played his first two seasons with the Wolverines before finishing his college career at Minnesota.
"I had no idea how it was going to turn out," St-Juste said. "I played for Harbaugh back in college, so we had that connection. So, I knew that he knew the type of player I was, so he knew what I could bring to the table, and I think it worked out fine and it helped me elevate my game."
It wasn't easy to crack a secondary featuring Derwin James, Cam Hart, and Donte Jackson, but defensive coordinator Jesse Minter found snaps for St-Juste and he took advantage of them.
Despite playing only 356 snaps over 16 games, St-Juste registered 29 tackles (19 solo), an interception and seven passes defensed. Pro Football Focus credited him with zero missed tackles on the year and as the NFL's top cornerback in zone coverage, according to their metrics.
"It was the best year for the opportunities that I was given," St-Juste said. "Yeah, for sure. I had some pretty good years early on when I was in Washington. But for the limited amount of reps that I had, I would say I maximized everything that I could out of last year."
St-Juste learned a lot about himself as a cornerback last year and was appreciative of the opportunity that Harbaugh and the Chargers gave him. At the same time, he hoped to land somewhere he could compete for a more consistent role.
Seeing parallels between the scheme Minter ran in L.A. and the defense Jonathan Gannon is installing in Green Bay, St-Juste signed with the Packers in the opening wave of free agency.
By joining Green Bay, it only affords St-Juste the opportunity to compete for a starting job and also address some unfinished business after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 NFC Championship Game during his final year in Washington.
"This is a team that has a real shot at winning a ring," St-Juste said. "I'm at a point in my career where I got a little taste of what it feels like to go deep into the playoffs, being one game away from the Super Bowl in 2024, so I personally really think this team can go all the way this year. That was my main priority."
The Packers effectively hit the reset button on the cornerback position after a turbulent 2025 campaign that saw high-profile free agent Nate Hobbs battle injuries while recording just 27 tackles and two pass deflections in 11 games prior to being released in March.
Along with signing St-Juste, Green Bay doubled down on cornerback in the draft when the team drafted South Carolina's Brandon Cisse in the second round and Alabama's Domani Jackson in the sixth.
Those new additions will compete with fourth-year veteran Carrington Valentine for the starting perimeter spot opposite Keisean Nixon, who's coming off his first Pro Bowl season.
"Really big kid played a lot of football. High IQ guy, smart guy," said Nixon of St-Juste. "I like the depth we've got right now. There's a lot of competition going on. We've just got to end the camp healthy. I think that's the biggest goal is to be healthy coming into the season and get through the season healthy."
St-Juste hit a bit of a snag this spring with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the on-field portion of the offseason program. However, the sixth-year veteran returned heathy for the start of training camp and feels like he's hitting his stride.
Friday was a good start, and he's excited to see what's possible in Gannon's DB-friendly scheme.
"You're always trying to do better than what you did last year," St-Juste said. "What I did last year, I've learned a lot from what I'm good at and what I'm trying to own on and really work on the details. And that's the same thing I'm trying to do this year."
