Matt LaFleur breaks down the strategy behind the Packers’ controversial offseason signing and why fans shouldn’t panic.QQ
The Green Bay Packers knew they needed some secondary help in the offseason, so general manager Brian Gutekunst went into the free agency pool to find a cornerback.
Gutekunst went fishing and came back with Nate Hobbs, a former fifth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders who had made a decent career for himself as a slot cornerback in four NFL seasons.
The issue for the Packers, though, was that through the first few games of the season, they would have been better playing a cadaver at cornerback than Hobbs. At least a cadaver may occasionally get in the way. Things got so bad for Hobbs, especially against the Arizona Cardinals, that head coach Matt LaFleur benched Hobbs heading into Week 8’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s quite a downgrade, though it’s worth noting that LaFleur did say on Monday that the Packers still believe in the former Illinois Fighting Illini star. The fact that he’s in a competition also suggests that he can earn his way back into the starting lineup.
Packers’ Nate Hobbs has been disappointing
Hobbs has gone from a Day 1 starter to firmly entrenched in a week-to-week positional competition alongside a former 2023 seventh-round pick in Carrington Valentine.
When he was signed, he was thought to be a positive, physical addition to play alongside Keisean Nixon (who said early in the offseason that he believed he could be a CB1 for Green Bay) and young nickelback Javon Bullard.
At the very least, his very presence alone was supposed to be an upgrade over former star cornerback Jaire Alexander, who just couldn’t seem to be healthy. Even if, in theory, Hobbs had 50 percent less talent, that was better than a player who could never see the field.
The problem is, as mentioned, a traffic cone would make a better cornerback for these Packers at this current juncture.
The Packers gave Hobbs a four-year, $48 million deal this offseason that seemed like a big thing until further examination revealed that.
Yes, it’s a big number, but only $16 million of it was guaranteed, and that came from the $16 million signing bonus. In theory, it’s basically a one-year deal with three team options.
Because of his contract, the Packers will undoubtedly give Hobbs the chance to earn playing time back. Truth be told, though, he was seen as a slot cornerback with Vegas, but he’s not better at playing the slot for the Packers than Bullard.
He’s also not better on the outside than Valentine, who is at the very least aggressive and physical, so there is a world in which he just doesn’t work out for this team.
That would be a disappointment, because he was considered a “big” free agent signing for Gutekunst this offseason. The Packers have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this season, though, so they can’t afford to have any weak links.
