The Green Bay Packers are getting a big helping of versatility and athletic ability in cornerback Nate Hobbs, who agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Packers on Monday.

Jeff Hafley’s secondary is now well stocked with versatile players, creating valuable protection against injury and allowing the Packers to explore how best to configure the defensive backs on the field from down to down and game to game.

Over four NFL seasons, Hobbs has played over 1,600 snaps in the slot and almost 800 on the perimeter, per Pro Football Focus. Per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com, the expectation is that Hobbs will play on the perimeter in Green Bay.

A fifth-round pick out of Illinois in 2021, Hobbs has the body type and athletic profile to play either cornerback spot. He’s a little over 5-11 with 32.5″ arms and a vertical leap of 40.5,” highlighting why the Packers think he can survive outside. But Hobbs also put up 17 reps on the bench, finished the three-cone drill in 6.87 seconds and broad jumped 11-3, giving him the strength, quickness and explosive ability necessary for handling all the jobs of a modern slot cornerback.

The Packers finished the 2024 season with converted slot corner Keisean Nixon and 2023 seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine as the perimeter corners and 2024 second-round pick Javon Bullard as the primary slot corner. If Hobbs is headed for the perimeter, the Packers are likely expecting Hobbs, Nixon and Bullard to be the preferred starters.

But Hafley and the Packers will have options.

Hobbs has slot/perimeter versatility. So does Nixon. Bullard played in the slot and at safety as a rookie. And Evan Williams also has experience playing the slot dating back to college. When injuries hit, and they always do in an NFL secondary, the Packers will have the versatility to mix and match so the best players are always on the field.

It’s worth noting that Hobbs was at his best as a rookie slot corner for Gus Bradley and the Raiders in 2021. Bradley famously runs a lot of Cover-3 defenses. Hafley and the Packers played a bunch of that coverage in 2024, making it possible Hobbs will naturally gravitate towards the slot.

The addition of Hobbs shouldn’t prevent the Packers from adding to the cornerback position via the draft. Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes are almost assuredly departing this offseason, and Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell are also free agents. Hobbs is likely just the first step of a positional makeover.