One of the big talking points to come out of the Green Bay Packers' three-point win over the Arizona Cardinals was the performance of veteran cornerback Nate Hobbs. The veteran cornerback, who was signed to a four-year, $48 million deal this season, has been a huge disappointment, and his struggles are becoming harder to ignore.
In Sunday’s game, the Cardinals went after Hobbs, who allowed four catches (five targets) for 86 yards and had a defensive holding penalty in the fourth quarter. He also had a 109.7 passer rating when targeted, per Wendell Ferreira of AtoZ Sports.
If you’re a Green Bay fan, it's clear Hobbs isn’t the answer on the outside. The Packers could give more snaps to Carrington Valentine on the outside, who has really flashed when given the chance.
However, if Green Bay doesn’t want to just lean on Valentine to fix their outside CB woes, the next best thing they could do is try to bring back veteran CB Rasul Douglas. Douglas, who played his best ball of his career in Green Bay, could be obtainable with the Miami Dolphins looking like sellers at the deadline.
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Now, for some Packers fans, Douglas might not be their first option, especially with Stephon Gilmore and Asante Samuel Jr. still free agents (h/t @DotByLove). And not to mention, there are young CBs like Alontae Taylor and Riq Woolen, who could be available ahead of the trade deadline.
That said, if the Packers wanted to bring back Douglas, it likely would not cost a huge return as he’s 30 years old and is on a one-year deal. He's a bigger body cornerback that can match up against perimeter wide receivers, and if he can turn into a ballhawk like we saw in his previous stint in GB that would go a long way.
This season with the Dolphins, the ex-Packers cornerback has recorded 27 combined tackles and four pass deflections. Following Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Douglas' Pro Football Focus coverage grade sits at 78.1, which is currently No. 14 among 168 CBs this season.
During his three-year run in Green Bay, Douglas had 32 pass deflections, 10 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), and two forced fumbles. He also possessed a 78.1 passer rating allowed when targeted, and had a stellar 59.8 completion percentage allowed on targets..
That said, Douglas gave up his fair share of touchdowns as we saw in 2022 (6) and first part of 2023 (4), but he got turnovers, which were just as important. Should Green Bay expect something similar in 2025? Likely not, as we saw Douglas struggle in pass coverage last year in Buffalo (122.0 passer rating allowed when targeted, four TDs allowed).
Nonetheless, if you’re Green Bay, it doesn’t hurt to inquire to see what the asking price is as you can’t continue to start Hobbs, who's shaping up to be one of the Packers' biggest offseason regrets.