On Monday, the Green Bay Packers signed former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million deal, with only $16 million fully guaranteed. The contract structure provides Green Bay with financial flexibility because Hobbs’ $5,988,235 cap hit in 2025 will account for just 2% of the team’s cap space.
He’s a physical press corner with strong tackling ability. Throughout Hobbs’ time in Vegas, he primarily played as a slot corner, logging 1,616 snaps at the position. However, he also gained valuable experience across the defense, with 740 snaps on the boundary, 400 in the box, 66 on the line of scrimmage, and 11 as a deep safety.
Hobbs could just as easily start on the outside as he could in the slot. However, given his productivity in the slot, the Packers will likely prefer to keep him there, allowing Keisean Nixon to move to the outside. Hobbs could just as easily start on the outside as he could in the slot. However, given his productivity in the slot, the Packers will likely prefer to keep him there, allowing Nixon to move to the outside.
Still, seeing how the team manages Javon Bullard’s role will be interesting if Hobbs moves inside.
The Packers drafted Bullard as a safety, but he played 361 snaps as a slot corner last year – 102 more than he did as a deep safety. He played best near the line of scrimmage, allowing Evan Williams to thrive in his rookie season, playing alongside Xavier McKinney on the back end.
One of Bill Huber’s sources indicated that one option could be playing Hobbs as the outside cornerback in base defense and shifting him to the slot on passing downs. Given his versatility, that’s a viable option.
Bullard could rotate with Williams as a deep safety and whoever plays in the slot, but I don’t expect his playing time to decrease. Jeff Hafley has long been a fan of Bullard and even attempted to recruit him to Boston College.
“Loved his tape. Loved the way he played, loved the playstyle. Loved the versatility,” Hafley said after the draft.
He’s a physical guy. He can run. He can cover. He can play deep. He can play in the slot. He can blitz. He’s bigger when you see him. He’s thick, strong. The best part of it is, you don’t really know what you’re getting until you get into a meeting room with him.
He’s a sharp guy. His ability to learn and process during those two days was impressive. When you get a guy who can play that fast and can take what he learned in the meeting room and bring it out onto the field, and he’s got a chance. Small little glimpse of what we’re going to get when they get here, but excited to have him.
There shouldn’t be any mystery for the Packers to solve regarding their base defense. Hobbs should start on the outside alongside Nixon or possibly an early draft addition. Williams has been more productive as a post safety, but he and Bullard can rotate as needed. When shifting to a 4-2-5, Hobbs should move inside to the slot, though he can still see time on the outside, allowing Bullard to step into the nickel role when needed.
Contrary to Huber’s report, I imagine Green Bay will allow Hobbs to start on the outside. However, he could shift inside if Bullard struggles in coverage or deals with an injury. It’s a tricky decision for the Packers to make. If anything, it highlights the team’s depth at nickel, an underrated position in modern football.
The Packers have plenty of versatility in their secondary, which is a good problem for Hafley to manage. However, I’d be shocked if Javon Bullard isn’t a fundamental piece of the defense moving forward. Hafley is a smart coach, and with so many interchangeable pieces in the secondary, he will find ways to maximize Bullard’s impact.
