In the offseason, the Green Bay Packers signed former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million contract. It was unreasonable to expect him to carry the secondary on his own, but his addition was meant to bring some stability to a cornerback group that was the defense’s biggest weakness entering the 2025 season.

However, six games into his tenure with the Green and Gold, the results have been far from what the Packers had hoped for.

Hobbs got off to a promising start, allowing just one catch on four targets in his first two games with the Packers, but since then, things have gone downhill. In Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, he gave up four completions on six targets for 55 yards — an average of 13.8 yards per catch — two touchdowns and a passer rating of 135.4. His passer rating allowed was among the top 10 highest for all cornerbacks that week. Dak Prescott repeatedly exploited him in the passing game, and Hobbs had no answers.

In Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hobbs allowed four catches on five targets. He also committed a penalty and surrendered a passer rating of 92.5. The following week, against the Arizona Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett had a passer rating of 109.7.

His performance against Arizona was arguably his worst of the year. He was beaten on both plays that led to the Cardinals’ touchdowns. First, he was beaten by Marvin Harrison on a 3rd-and-14, then he left Trey McBride completely uncovered, allowing him to walk in for the score.

After six games, Hobbs has allowed two touchdowns and committed three penalties. He has just one pass breakup and is allowing a passer rating of 120.9. That production is far from ideal, especially considering the investment made by General Manager Brian Gutekunst. There’s still a lot of football left to play, but should Green Bay continue to trust Hobbs with a starting role?

If the Packers do continue to trust Hobbs, they might need to rethink how they use him. He’s been playing mostly as a boundary cornerback, but he was at his best in 2024 with the Raiders as a slot corner. That year, he played over 300 snaps in the slot compared to 174 as a wide cornerback. The year before, he played 504 snaps as a slot cornerback, but only 111 wide.

Through six games with Green Bay, Hobbs has played over 200 snaps as a wide corner but only 30 in the slot. Javon Bullard has been Green Bay’s primary starter in the slot, allowing over 85% of his targets to be caught. If Hobbs — who was a serviceable slot corner in Vegas — can’t beat Bullard for the job, the Packers should be very worried.

Surely, we have to consider the long-term effects that moving Hobbs inside could have on the entire secondary. Would the Packers feel comfortable with Carrington Valentine lining up outside next to Keisean Nixon? For context, entering Week 7, Valentine was PFF’s second-best cornerback in man coverage. By no means is he a perfect defensive back, but he is more naturally suited to playing on the outside than Hobbs.

Additionally, would this move mean that Bullard sees a decreased role in the defense? Would he rotate with Evan Williams at the post? These are important questions as the Packers weigh how to optimize their secondary moving forward.

One could argue that Green Bay has $48 million reasons not to bench Hobbs after a slow start. That said, some changes might be necessary. He’s simply not holding his own on the outside, and the smart move could be to shift him into the slot — or, if things get worse, to limit him to a rotational role.