On Day 1 of NFL free agency, the Green Bay Packers signed former Las Vegas Raider CB Nate Hobbs to a 4 year, $48 million dollar deal. This was the second splash signing of free agency for Green Bay. Hobbs played his college ball at Illinois and spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Raiders. With all signs pointing to a potential split between Green Bay and Jaire Alexander, Hobbs will look to fill the big shoes left behind.
Nate Hobbs told the media that one of the biggest reasons why he chose to sign with the Packers was because of his close relationship with Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia. Bisaccia and Hobbs became close during the 2021 season, which was Hobbs’ rookie season and the year that Bisaccia was promoted to the Raiders Interim Head Coach. Hobbs, similar to Keisean Nixon and Josh Jacobs, wanted to play again for their beloved former coach.
With Jaire’s situation still unresolved, there are multiple scenarios in play. It appears that he will not be back with the Packers next season but there is still a path that could lead to his return to Green Bay. With Nate Hobbs now in the mix, Packers DC Jeff Hafley has several pieces to play with in his secondary. Hobbs has played 1,662 snaps in the slot and 741 snaps at corner over his career. The Packers have indicated that they plan to play Hobbs on the outside more times than not. However, let’s take a look a few scenarios.
Nate Hobbs Versatility Creates Positional Battles
To start, the most likely scenario is Jaire Alexander will not be back in Green Bay. If that comes to fruition, it appears that the Packers will line up Hobbs and Nixon on the outside in their base defense. This would lead to second year SS/CB Javon Bullard being the nickel. On obvious passing downs, the Packers could move Hobbs inside to the slot and play Carrington Valentine on the outside opposite of Keisean Nixon. This might change depending on what Green Bay does in the draft. The Packers are linked to several high end rookie cornerbacks.
In the event that the Packers and Alexander make amends and Alexander dons the Green and Gold in 2025, this creates quite the pickle for Hafley. However, this situation would be more of a blessing than a curse. Given Alexander’s injury history, the Packers could decide to play him exclusively on passing downs. Hafley could roll out Hobbs and Nixon on the outside in his base defense and then utilize Alexander on passing downs. If Alexander returns, this would create an odd situation for Javon Bullard who is a second round pick that Green Bay thinks highly of.
Whatever happens with Alexander, the Packers have exciting options in their secondary. It is likely that they add another piece to the puzzle during the draft which will change this conversation a bit. Nate Hobbs ability to play in the slot and the outside gives Hafley the chance to get creative and keep offenses guessing. Hobbs has shown the potential to blitz and play in the box as well. Hafley was not afraid to blitz a defensive back last season so Hobbs is a chess piece that could be used in multiple different places. His versatility will create intriguing positional battles in training camp to determine who will be playing where, which is a good problem for the Packers.
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