The Green Bay Packers’ secondary was a disaster in Dallas. It was a startling development for a group that began the year looking like one of the best units in the league.
One way to get it back on track is a bit complex.
Despite poor play from both Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs in Week 4, the duo needs to be splitting reps at the CB2 spot.
Hobbs allowed a 135.4 passer rating when targeted by Dak Prescott and had a horrific 51.6 coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus. During the flurry where the Dallas Cowboys scored five touchdowns in six possessions, Hobbs was the main culprit in coverage twice.
Valentine wasn’t much better in this game, but in the first few weeks, the former seventh-round pick had been nails. Like the rest of the secondary, he had a puzzling outing against the Cowboys. However, in the weeks prior, he played admirably while Hobbs was out with an injury.
Now with Hobbs back in the picture, there is pressure to show he was worth the money Brian Gutekunst and the Packers forked over in the offseason.
It’s been a nightmare.
In Hobbs’ defense, he had knee surgery that kept him out through Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. It’s plausible that Hobbs is still working out the kinks to get back to 100%. Whether that’s the case, or Hobbs isn’t as good as Gutekunst expected, it’s time to plug Valentine in more.
In Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, Hobbs logged 48 snaps at cornerback to Valentine’s 22. It was much of the same against Dallas, with Hobbs getting 46 snaps to Valentine’s 24. Based on Valentine’s play to start the season and how Hobbs has looked, a 50/50 split is more than warranted.
Against the Lions, Valentine played all 67 snaps on defense, and Jared Goff only targeted him twice. Valentine finished second on the team with a 75.8 pass-coverage grade. It was much of the same against Washington, with Valentine finishing second on the team with a pass-coverage grade of 79.7 while allowing only one reception on four targets.
Valentine has established a solid track record. The Cowboys game was likely an outlier for him, as it was with most of the secondary.
Unfortunately, Hobbs’ contract status may disincline the front office from making that change just yet.
When the Packers signed Hobbs, Gutekunst gushed over the versatility the Packers now had at cornerback with Hobbs and Keisean Nixon‘s ability to play the slot as well.
We have three guys that combined started over 90 games in the National Football League, and we feel really good about those guys and the versatility that they bring. All three guys are able to play inside and outside, so we are excited about that. There are not many teams in this league that probably have three guys that they feel really good about, and we do.
Versatility is fine and dandy, but stability is every bit as important. Hobbs hasn’t been able to show that, while Valentine did in the first two weeks and even last year in Jeff Hafley’s system.
The politics that can factor in will play a role, but winning should ultimately take precedence over all of it. On the one hand, you have Valentine, a seventh-round pick who has developed into a starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL. On the other hand, you have Hobbs, who signed a four-year, $48 million deal with a $16 million signing bonus.
At some point, you have to put the best guys on the field.
I’m not suggesting that the Packers should give up on Hobbs. That would be awfully premature. However, until he establishes himself as a true No. 1 corner, giving Valentine an equal opportunity is the reasonable move.
Perhaps Hobbs could try to play the slot a little bit, but the problem there is that Javon Bullard, who currently occupies that role, has been pretty damn good. Do you really want to take snaps away from Bullard in a role he’s been more than comfortable in? Probably not.
The game against the Cowboys highlighted the weaker elements in Green Bay’s game that it must address. Dak Prescott deserves a lot of credit for carving up the secondary, even when the Packers generated pressure. Per PFF, Prescott was 12 for 14 for 162 yards and a touchdown when facing pressure. Those are absurd numbers.
As Micah Parsons said, Prescott just played a hell of a game.
You look how precise No. 4 looked tonight, just getting through his throws, getting to his receivers, the timing. I think he played a better game than we played defense. So, you know, shout out to Dak, and I told him, I said, ‘You go watch that film. You lucky if you wasn’t on your s—, it would’ve been a long day, it would’ve been a real long day for you,’ but he played a hell of a game, and I give him kudos for that.
Dak’s heroics aside, he exposed a flaw in Green Bay’s secondary, one they are well-suited to adjust during the bye-week break. Valentine deserves a larger share of the snaps and should be 50/50 with Hobbs at the outside cornerback spot.