The Green Bay Packers have won back-to-back games since coming out of their bye week to improve to 4-1-1 for the season. Yet, the fanbase isn't entirely satisfied with the team's performance, as Green Bay needed big fourth quarters to defeat inferior teams like the Bengals and Cardinals. One of the biggest disappointments has been the performance of one of the Packers' biggest offseason additions, Nate Hobbs.
Hobbs, who signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers in the offseason, has failed to live up to expectations since the start of the season. Things hit a new low against the Cardinals when he was lit up all game, giving up four catches for 87 yards and a 118.8 passer rating in coverage. He was also called for a costly holding penalty in the fourth quarter, drawing the ire of many Packers fans.
Matt LaFleur Is Making a Big Mistake with Nate Hobbs
Despite the underwhelming performance, head coach Matt LaFleur isn't ready to give up on him. On Tuesday, LaFleur acknowledged Hobbs' struggles, but said "he will bounce back," per The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. The more frustrating part of the exchange was LaFleur's refusal to respond to a question about Carrington Valentine potentially replacing Hobbs.
Valentine has been playing well every time he has gotten an opportunity this season. Yet somehow, he has seen his defensive snaps gradually decrease throughout the 2025 campaign, hitting a season-low of two against the Cardinals. The former seventh-round pick has been a developmental success story for Green Bay, yet seems to be firmly behind Hobbs in the rotation. That is hard to justify given his on-field performance. If Hobbs weren't paid handsomely over the offseason, it'd be hard to imagine the coaching staff insisting on sticking with him.
LaFleur and the coaching staff had six games to evaluate Hobbs and the strengths and weaknesses of this defense. That is a large enough sample to understand what Hobbs is not able to provide to the team. In addition, Hobbs has four previous seasons of evidence of struggling as an outside cornerback. His best moments as a Raider came as a nickel corner. In fact, the only other season when he played the majority of his snaps on the outside was statistically the second-worst season of his career, receiving a 60.9 grade from Pro Football Focus.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. LaFleur's remark, "he will bounce back," to describe Hobbs' situation borders on that. Believing that he will magically start playing there without much evidence will only hurt the Packers.