Green Bay Packers coach Joe Whitt Jr. knows what a good group of cornerbacks looks like, and he can see big potential in his current group of cornerbacks.

Potential being the key word.

“I’m not going to get ahead of myself, but if we play to our potential, we have a chance, with this group, to be as good as any group as we might have had here,” Whitt said during June’s minicamp.

Whitt quickly mentioned his “special” groups from 2009, 2010 and 2014, admitting how difficult it would be for this year’s group to reach the levels set by the likes of Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward. The opportunity is still there for the Packers to make a big rebound at the position in 2017, especially if the quality of practices from this offseason translates to training camp and the regular season.

“I’ve seen good practices before, and good groups, and this group here has had those type of practices,” Whitt said.

Whitt and the Packers have obvious reasons to believe cornerback will be much better this season.

Veteran Davon House returned after a two-year stint in Jacksonville, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins are both healthy after injury-plagued seasons and rookie Kevin King should add unrivaled length and athleticism on the perimeter.

There’s also LaDarius Gunter, who was often Green Bay’s best cornerback in 2016; Herb Waters, a receiver convert who received rave reviews from Whitt this offseason; Josh Hawkins and Demetri Goodson, two veteran holdovers from last year’s roster; and four undrafted free agents, including Lenzy Pipkins, who finished minicamp with impressive performances in back-to-back practices.

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The position is deep on options and strong in collective affection, and Whitt believes bringing back House – a former draft pick of the Packers – has only added to the camaraderie of the group.

“That’s why I think this group can be good,” Whitt said. “They genuinely like each other. And when you genuinely like each other and you’re pulling for each other, you play better. I think (House is) leading the group in the right direction.”

Whitt specifically mentioned how House’s leadership has blossomed since returning to Green Bay, noting how often he went out of his way to help the young cornerbacks during the offseason program. His leadership could assist the Packers in getting the most out of a young group that is attempting to come back from a disastrous 2016 season.

Green Bay gave up 32 touchdown passes during the regular season and later crumbled in the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons. Opposing quarterbacks averaged 8.1 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 95.9 against the Packers in 2016.

Whitt is confident he has the right pieces for a rebound, but a couple of strong practices in June won’t matter much if results don’t follow. More work is required to realize the potential.

“I’m excited about what we can be, but we have to get there,” Whitt said.