One of the more underrated storylines so far in free agency has been the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers swapping their cornerbacks for next season. The Packers signed Nate Hobbs to a four-year deal worth $ 48 million, while the Raiders signed Eric Stokes to a one-year deal worth $ 4 million.
Hobbs spent all four years of his NFL career with the Raiders, and after being drafted in the fifth round, he has gone on to have a very successful career so far. Last year, Hobbs only played 11 games, but he had 49 total tackles and an interception, as well as five passes defended.
Similarly, Stokes spent his first four years in the league with the Packers, and he was drafted late in the first round. Last year was Stokes’ most healthy season, as he was able to play all 17 games and had 41 total tackles.
Both of these players were drafted in the same draft class but are now in wildly different positions four years into their careers. Stokes has one year to prove that he was worth the first-round pick and hopes to impress this season to stay with the Raiders or play well enough to earn a contract for another team.
Despite his draft position, Hobbs has proven that he’s a quality cornerback in this league, and the Packers are expected to get rid of Jaire Alexander. This opens up more opportunity for him, and after getting a massive payday from them, he may have found his home with Green Bay.
Stokes can still provide value for Pete Carroll and the new look Raiders, as he has shown that he can reliably make tackles at a high level. He’s currently third on the depth chart for right cornerback. Just like Lonnie Johnson Jr, this move may have been done with depth in mind.
It’ll be interesting to see how these two players will play out the rest of their careers and if Stokes could find a permanent home with the Raiders. They’ve focused quite a bit of their attention on defense in free agency. Hopefully, this means that next year, their defense will be much improved.