It did not take long for one of the high-priced newest additions to the Green Bay Packers' roster to be bitten by the injury bug now that training camp is underway.
Following the departure of Jaire Alexander this offseason, the Packers were faced with questions about their secondary and how much that loss would impact them. Now, with Alexander off to the Baltimore Ravens, his departure pales in comparison to the fact that Green Bay could now be in a position where it takes the field for Week 1 without the top cornerback on the roster.
Newly acquired defensive back Nate Hobbs underwent surgery on his knee this past weekend after an MRI confirmed he had a partially torn meniscus, but remains in good spirits, via Kelly Hallinan of NBC 26 News.
Packers CB Nate Hobbs stood up with a smile when asked how he was feeling after his knee surgery.
— Kelly Hallinan (@kellyhals) August 5, 2025
He said at Thursday's practice it was a minor collision that turned out to be something deeper. Said he found out his meniscus was torn on Friday and had the procedure Saturday.… pic.twitter.com/VYKtoinOIK
New Packers CB Nate Hobbs Puts on Brave Face After Latest Setback
While speaking with the media on Tuesday, Hobbs addressed the injury and his outlook following the procedure he underwent to clean things up in his knee. The former fifth-round pick out of the University of Illinois is approaching this unfortunate situation in the best possible way. That should only help his recovery, despite the obvious disappointment Hobbs feels by being in this spot in the first place.
“I was having a good camp,” Hobbs said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “and I was proving to my teammates and gaining their trust. That’s something I take real serious, just trying to be the best version of myself out there. Whenever you really, truly try to do that and something happens, it hurts. But you either take that as something that’s going to hold you back, or you look at it like a lesson.”
The recovery time for an injury like the one suffered by Hobbs is roughly four weeks. That doesn't automatically mean that the defensive back will be ready to roll by Week 1, though. At this point in time, Hobbs maintains he is taking his recovery and rehabilitation day by day.
Given the expectations the Packers have for themselves this season, it certainly makes more sense to have Hobbs potentially miss games in early September due to this meniscus issue rather than mid-December. As long as he continues to attack his rehab in the right manner, something he seems to already be doing, Green Bay dodged a bullet on the defensive side of things.
For his career, Hobbs has 281 total tackles, three interceptions, and three QB sacks. Getting him back in the lineup will help Green Bay in a variety of ways but making sure this meniscus is as healed up as it can get before doing so is the best course of action for all parties involved.