The Green Bay Packers gambled at the start of the season with a lack of depth at a premium position. Now, at the halfway mark of the 2025 NFL season, the gamble appears to have backfired. With the trade deadline now past, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will have to find another way to address this position if the team hopes to compete in the tightly contested NFC playoff race. The Packers gamble at cornerback has backfired as depth issues threaten their playoff push.
Packers Gamble at Cornerback Backfires: How We Got Here
Over the offseason, the Packers parted ways with two former first-round picks at cornerback. They opted not to re-sign Eric Stokes who saw his play fall off after a strong rookie season. Then, they released Jaire Alexander after the team couldn’t come to an agreement on a restructured contract with him and failed to work out a trade.
There was speculation that the Packers would use a high draft pick on a cornerback, but that never materialized. Gutekunst did not select a corner until the seventh round of the draft. He added Micah Robinson who started the season on the Packers practice squad before being signed to the Titans active roster in October.
Gutekunst did address the cornerback position in free agency over the offseason. He added former Raiders corner Nate Hobbs, signing him to a four-year, $48 million dollar contract. Signing Hobbs was also a gamble. He mostly played the slot with the Raiders, but Gutekunst believed he had the skill set to also be effective playing the boundary. The Packers already had multiple players who excelled in the slot in Javon Bullard and Keisean Nixon. However, Nixon made a successful transition to the boundary in 2024 when Alexander went down with an injury.
The Packers entered the 2025 season with only three experienced players who could play boundary corner. Nixon, Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine.
A Shaky Start to the Season
Things haven’t gone according to plan with Hobbs. He suffered a knee injury in the preseason and missed most of training camp. He opted for surgery with the hope that he would be ready to return for the season opener against the Lions. Unfortunately, the recovery took longer than initially expected. Hobbs missed Week 1 and was on a limited play count in Week 2 against the Commanders.
When Hobbs played on the boundary, he struggled. Thus far this season, opposing receivers covered by Hobbs have caught 65.2 percent of their passes and opposing quarterbacks have a rating of 116.2. Hobbs may still be slowed by the knee injury, or he could lack the athleticism to play effectively on the boundary.
Valentine surpassed Hobbs on the depth chart and started against the Steelers in Week 8 and has remained there since then. He’s done an adequate job. Nixon has had moments of strong play, including five passes defended against Washington in Week 2. He has also been among the league leaders in penalties among defensive backs.
New Problems
This week, the Packers announced that Hobbs suffered another injury and will miss at least the next two games. So, the team now has no experienced depth at cornerback.
If they want to play dime, Bullard can play the slot with Valentine and Nixon on the boundary and Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney playing safety. But if any of the remaining cornerbacks get injured, the Packers have no experienced backups available on the roster.
The next two cornerbacks on the roster are Kamal Hadden and Bo Melton. Neither player has played a down on defense in the NFL. Hadden has played four games and seen action exclusively on special teams. Melton just made the transition from wide receiver to cornerback this season. He has played seven games but appeared exclusively on special teams and on offense.
Packers Gamble at Cornerback Backfires: Possible Solutions
The Packers need to find additional depth at the cornerback position before Monday night’s game against the Eagles at Lambeau Field. One player the Packers are reportedly interested in is Asante Samuel, Jr. The former Florida State star spent four seasons with the Chargers after they drafted him in the second round in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Samuel has been a starter since his rookie campaign, but he was limited to just four games last year after undergoing spinal fusion surgery over the offseason. He was recently cleared to play by doctors.
Samuel is a free agent so the Packers wouldn’t have to give up anything to sign him other than his salary. If he’s healthy and can return to his pre-injury form, Samuel can give the Packers an upgrade over Hobbs at cornerback.
Of course, other teams will also be interested in a ball-hawking, 26-year-old free agent cornerback. Gutekunst will have to win a bidding war and convince Samuel that playing for the Packers will give him a great chance to see playing time and contend for a Super Bowl ring.
We’ll see if the Packers sign Samuel or look for other alternatives at the cornerback position. But right now, the gamble they made in the offseason has yet to pay off. Another injury could put the defense in a desperate situation at a premium position.
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