The Green Bay Packers knew this offseason that their biggest need was cornerback.
They made one major move to try and address it, signing Nate Hobbs.
So far, it hasn't worked out. Hobbs' four-year, $48 million deal has aged poorly in the early going.
Part one of the Hobbs problem has been injuries.
"Injuries have clearly impacted Hobbs, as he missed Week 1 with a torn meniscus and is currently out with an MCL sprain," ESPN's Aaron Schatz writes. "In between, he hasn't played up to his past level of performance. He played only four snaps in Week 8 and then just 19 snaps in Week 9."
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The Packers have also changed the cornerback position that Hobbs is playing.
"Part of the problem is that Hobbs was always successful as a slot cornerback with Las Vegas, and the Packers have used him more as a boundary corner," Schatz writes. "They use safety Javon Bullard as their nickelback instead."
That's particularly confusing, because corners often are much better at one or the other, and the Packers sought out Hobbs because of his strong play in the slot. Green Bay may have backed itself into a corner by not having enough depth outside to be sure to keep Hobbs inside.
"The bad news for the Packers is that with the MCL sprain, it might be a while before Hobbs can turn around his performance," Schatz writes. "... Cornerback performance is inconsistent and hard to predict. The good news for Green Bay is that Hobbs' contract is structured more like a one-year deal with three one-year team options, so the Packers can easily move on from him this offseason if they want."
If the Packers let Hobbs go after the season, it'll be right back to the drawing board. Cornerback hasn't been good enough, and one way or the other, Green Bay has to figure that out.
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