It would be kind of strange to have two CBs that have mostly played slot end up being the starters outside and Gutey talked up Hobbs' versatility after they signed him. If Alexander is gone they need at least two more CBs to fill out the roster but I think they can be day 3 picks. I think Valentine has a decent shot at ending up a starter and that really opens up a ton of options.

I think they NFL will be transitioning to treating DBs like colleges mainly play today. Unless it's a Major college program if you can play outside you're left out there and everyone else is inside in three safety looks. If you look at where inside guys played they usually start out playing deep, then play slot and then in the box. That outliers from that are kids that come into college with more developed frames but otherwise it makes sense to get players closer to the LOS as they gain weight and strength. With so many safeties playing slot in college it makes sense for the NFL to adapt to that model.

When the S position was weaker (before 2024) they used Nixon in the slot and played two outside CB. Last year--as you note--there was clearly more strength at S, so the S played that nickel spot. The DB group is pretty good and has some depth for the first time in awhile.

Counting out Valentine is foolish. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he gets more snaps outside than Nixon. Nixon struggles with his back to the QB on the outside and opposing teams will know it by September. Teams are going to test him deep and if he doesn't learn to get his head around he's going to give up long completions and rack up penalties.

This leads us to question the motivation of "Why Hobbs" and not a more traditional outside CB in FA?

Could be because they liked how Nixon transitioned to perimeter CB and they saw a lot of the same in Hobbs.

Could be they felt the slot wasn't adequately handled by Bullard and they're hedging their bets with inside-outside guys.

We'll see.

Ordinary guys can't replace Stokes or Ballentine

This is not a case of the Packers drafting a player earlier than expected, if that's what you're getting at. Bullard was generally considered to be the second best safety in the draft, after Tyler Nubin, and a good bet to be selected in the second round. There's no shame in him being the primary nickel back on the #6 defense in the NFL, as a rookie.

Wrong guy for the job. Kam Kinchens , or Bullock were the real deal safeties. Bullard is a liability in coverage, which is part of a saftey's job description.
He comes up to the scrum and gets his nose in there to tackle, but that is expected after Owens, Savage and Ford
played the stay away game, protecting their bones for impending free agency.

With McDuffie, it's been a pattern for his entire career, and it limits him as a player. With Bullard, he was a rookie and was playing hurt toward the end of the season, so let's see how he does in his second year. I wonder if this Hafley defense puts a lot of stress on players who have to defend the shallow middle part of the field. I recall reading something about that when Hafley was hired last year, i.e. that the linebackers may have a hard time in pass coverage. It's the price that is paid for the defense being strong in other areas.

So, with so many guys that were liabilities,and our best CB out injured, and with inadequate pressure.....how did we manage to have one of the better pass defenses in the NFL last year? We were 6th in adjusted yards/attempt!! How is that accomplished with so many weak links on defense?

If he has that same QB rating against this year I'd agree, but he won't. His two worst games were when he had to play safety after practicing at nickel all week. He was having to think too much and that causes hesitation. Hopefully that's not a problem this year.

Did you get a thumb because you just made a nice comment that wasn't controversial? It doesn't matter but I'd just like to know what you said that was controversial.

I wouldn't mind seeing them draft a safety who is good at playing deep. I don't think that's a strong suit of Williams or Bullard and you can find safeties that mainly played deep later in the draft. Bonus if they have return ability.

Alexander. That’s why we should keep him. To be fair, not many cornerbacks in the league can really cover those guys consistently one-on-one with the rules the way they are.