{"id":88677,"date":"2025-09-05T15:20:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=88677"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:20:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:20:39","slug":"packers-fans-erupt-after-surprising-good-news-on-starting-cb-for-pivotal-lions-matchup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=88677","title":{"rendered":"Packers Fans Erupt After Surprising Good News on Starting CB for Pivotal Lions Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2229711686-e1757067117573.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2229711686-e1757067117573.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2229711686-e1757067117573.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2229711686-e1757067117573.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Packers Get Good News on Starting CB for Lions Matchup\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Green Bay Packers have taken a step closer toward having a healthy Nate Hobbs on the field for them against the Detroit Lions in Week 1\u2019s opener.<\/p>\n<p>According to ESPN\u2019s Rob Demovsky, Hobbs returned to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday for the first time since July 31 after missing the first session of the week.<\/p>\n<p>Hobbs is expected to start opposite veteran Keisean Nixon as one of the Packers\u2019 two boundary cornerbacks in 2025, but the 26-year-old missed most of training camp after undergoing a minor procedure in early August to fix a meniscus tear in his right knee.<\/p>\n<p>While the hope has been that Hobbs \u201ccould\u201d return in time for September 7\u2019s season opener against the Lions, his chances are more realistic after his return to practice.<\/p>\n<p>The Packers must still give Hobbs the all-clear before Sunday\u2019s game against the Lions, but head coach Matt LaFleur said the team will \u201cabsolutely\u201d give him a chance to play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just try to do it a little bit at a time, try to get him back ingrained into it,\u201d LaFleur said Thursday of working Hobbs back into the mix. \u201cHe\u2019s done a really good job, I\u2019d say, when he\u2019s not playing of being intentional \u2014 paying attention, obviously, in the meetings but also staying locked in and doing those mental reps when he\u2019s off to the side.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Packers Have Solid Backup Plan if Nate Hobbs Can\u2019t Go<\/h2>\n<p>The Packers are holding out hope that Hobbs will suit up for them against the Lions. After all, they made him one of their marquee free-agent additions in March when they signed him to a four-year, $48 million contract to fortify their cornerback position.<\/p>\n<p>If Hobbs is unable to play, though, Carrington Valentine is a quality backup plan.<\/p>\n<p>Valentine \u2014 a 2023 seventh-round pick \u2014 has played 32 games for the Packers over the past two seasons and banked enough trust with the front office to keep the team from going overboard with cornerback additions heading into the season. In particular, he has stood out as a coverage piece, earning the 27th-best coverage grade (74.4) among all corners in 2024 from Pro Football Focus, despite allowing 23 receptions on 30 targets.<\/p>\n<p>Even if they clear Hobbs to play, the Packers might utilize a healthy three-man rotation on the perimeter between him, Nixon and Valentine to ensure the freshest secondary as they navigate the new season. It will certainly help the back end of the defense to have a new trench monster off the edge in recently acquired superstar Micah Parsons.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Jayden Reed Also Progressed With Injury for Packers<\/h2>\n<p>Hobbs is not the only high-profile Packer who made progress Thursday with his injury.<\/p>\n<p>According to the team\u2019s injury report, the Packers also upgraded wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot) from a non-participant in Wednesday\u2019s practice to a limited participant on Thursday, an encouraging sign for the 2023 second-round pick\u2019s availability this week.<\/p>\n<p>Reed has led the Packers in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, registering a career-high 857 yards in 2024. He has also scored 17 total touchdowns in his 33 career games, making him a critical component of the Packers\u2019 offense heading into 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The Packers are also monitoring injuries with two of their other receivers \u2014 Dontayvion Wicks and rookie third-rounder Savion Williams \u2014 ahead of Sunday\u2019s kickoff against the Lions. The team limited both receivers in their first two practices of the week and will expectedly make final decisions about their injury statuses on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports \u2014 high school, college and pro \u2014 for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Packers<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Green Bay Packers have received a positive injury update on one of their top cornerbacks heading into their first game of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":88678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Packers Fans Erupt After Surprising Good News on Starting CB for Pivotal Lions Matchup - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=88677\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Packers Fans Erupt After Surprising Good News on Starting CB for Pivotal Lions Matchup - 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