The Green Bay Packers' season that began with a ton of hope and fanfare ended unceremoniously at the hands of the Chicago Bears last week. After a strong start to the season, the Packers took a nosedive in the final stretch of the season, and losing in the wild-card round came as a surprise to nobody.
Two big reasons for the disappointment were the big misses with offseason signings and the defensive struggles. Cornerback Nate Hobbs embodies both aspects of the disappointment, as he failed to live up to the four-year, $48 million contract he signed in the 2025 offseason. His health and coverage performance were questionable throughout the year, leaving Packers fans to wonder if he should be one-and-done in Titletown.
Now, in order to turn the entire cornerback room's outlook around, the Packers have to cut bait with the disappointing defender before it's too late as the first step.
Step 1: Cut Nate Hobbs
Hobbs quickly became the odd man out in the cornerback rotation, losing his starting spot to Carrington Valentine. After falling out of favor following Week 7, Hobbs sparingly saw the field, only playing more than half of defensive snaps once in the second half of the season. He suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Ravens in Week 17, further adding to concerns surrounding him. The former Las Vegas Raider has yet to play more than 13 games in any of his last four seasons in the NFL.
At this point, it's obvious that Hobbs can't play on the outside. The best moments in his career have come in the slot, but the Packers already have Javon Bullard there, rendering Hobbs redundant. Plus, with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley likely gone after advocating for Hobbs throughout the offseason, one has to wonder whether the Packers will want to keep the struggling CB around for much longer.
A post-June 1 release, per Spotrac, would create over $9 million in savings for the Packers, while adding $4 million and $8 million of dead money in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Restructuring Hobbs' contract remains an option, but considering that he will be a backup who rarely plays, the future cap space should be preferable for the Packers.
Step 2: Sign Asante Samuel Jr. in Free Agency
After moving on from Hobbs, one of the first targets for the Packers should be Asante Samuel Jr.
The veteran cornerback was an option for Green Bay during the season after he was cleared to play from his spinal injury, but he ended up signing with the Steelers. He looked healthy and productive in his short stint there, holding opponents to just seven completions for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets, even intercepting one of the passes sent his way, per Pro Football Focus.
With the Mike Tomlin era coming to an end in Pittsburgh, Samuel should emerge as a target for the Packers, providing solid depth to the rotation. Unlike Hobbs, the former Florida State Seminole thrives on outside situations, making it easy to see how his presence would instantly improve Green Bay's secondary.
Step 3: Draft a CB with the No. 52 Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
The Packers don't have their first-round pick this season and don't select until the 52nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. However, they would be wise to target their most immediate need with their first pick in the draft, aka the cornerback rotation.
Arizona State's Keith Abney II, Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds, and San Diego State's Chris Johnson are just some of the talented CB prospects who are often projected as potential second-rounders in mock drafts. That's without even accounting for the possibility of a first-round name falling to the Packers, or even the possibility that general manager Brian Gutekunst will trade up for a name he likes.
Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon were fine down the stretch, but the Packers lack a CB1 with elite upside. The best way to acquire one is through the draft, and, fortunately for Gutekunst & Co., he won't have a shortage of available options to help with that task come April.