Nate Hobbs Green Bay Packers
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Nate Hobbs #21 of the Green Bay Packers
The Kansas City Chiefs were among the most active teams during Day 1 of the free agent legal tampering period.
Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton agreed to new contracts with the Chiefs, as did a few outside free agents such as running back Kenneth Walker III, defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, and safety Alohi Gilman.
The Chiefs are likely not done making additions. There are still a lot of quality free agents left, and they have plenty of roster holes to fill. On Tuesday morning a quality cornerback, which is a big position of need for Kansas City, hit the open market.
CB Nate Hobbs Could Be a Great Fit With the Kansas City Chiefs
According to a report from NFL reporter Rob Demovsky, the Green Bay Packers are releasing Hobbs with a post-June 1 designation.
Rob Demovsky
The Packers are releasing CB Nate Hobbs and a source said they’re doing it with a post-June 1 designation.
Hobbs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay last offseason, but injuries and poor performance made him a disappointment. However, some of his struggles can be attributed to the Packers playing him out on the boundary despite him playing, and excelling, in the slot for most of his career.
Hobbs was a fifth-round draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. He had a stellar rookie year, recording 74 total tackles, three passes defended, one interception, one forced fumble, and one sack. For that he was named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team.
Hobbs’ best season came in 2023 as he racked up 86 total tackles, one interception, seven passes defended, one forced fumble, and one sack. The biggest thing that has held him back has been injuries. Other than his first year, Hobbs has missed four or more games in each season of his career. However, when healthy and being utilized at nickel, Hobbs has been one of the better cornerbacks in the league.
Chiefs Have Work to Do to Bolster Their CB Room
Chiefs CB Nohl Williams
GettyChiefs CB Nohl Williams
The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a haul of draft picks, and also lost Jaylen Watson to the Rams in free agency. If the regular season started today, Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton would likely be the two starting outside cornerbacks.
Williams is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he posted a 74.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, which was 16th out of 114 qualifying cornerbacks. Cornerback Kristian Fulton bounced back after an injury riddled start to the 2025 season and played well during the last few games.
Kansas City doesn’t really have a true slot cornerback on its roster. Christian Roland-Wallace and Chamarri Conner are safety/nickel cornerback hybrids, but Roland-Wallace has limited playing experience, and Conner has struggled mightily when playing in the slot. Kevin Knowles is a second-year play who the coaching staff likes, but he played mostly special teams last year.
The Chiefs could use one of their top 100 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a cornerback, possibly as high as with their ninth overall selection. They not only need one who can play well in the slot, but need several for overall depth as Fulton and Conner are entering the final year of their contracts.