Paul Bretl | 4/8/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — I’m going to guess that free agency for the Packers didn’t play out how many had expected or hoped.
Instead of landing that true No. 1 wide out in free agency or via trade, the only addition at the receiver position was Mecole Hardman on a one-year prove-it deal. At pass rusher, no signings have been made up to this point.
Even when it came to the two big contracts that the Packers did hand out, Nate Hobbs and Aaron Banks weren’t among the often talked about free agents that were available. Along those lines, when it comes to Banks’ position as an offensive lineman, that wasn’t one of the big perceived needs on the outside.
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘The Paul Bretl Show’ for more Packers coverage
Ultimately, until games are played and we see how the season unfolds for Hobbs and Banks, we won’t truly know what level of impact they can have. So, for the time being, all we have to go off of is what these players have done in the past, while seeing the big free agent names that were available sign elsewhere, as receiver and pass rusher remain needs for Green Bay, which I imagine, only fuels any frustration that may exist among fans.
However, with that said, while perhaps not obvious initially, one can also see the vision that the Packers have with these two additions. Although signing Hobbs and Banks may fall more so into the ‘under-the-radar’ category, their fits skill set-wise and schematically with what the Packers want to accomplish can help further elevate their own play, and therefore the play of the offensive and defensive units for Green Bay as well.
Hobbs had primarily been a nickel cornerback with the Las Vegas Raiders the last few seasons, but he has experience on the boundary, and the Packers believe he has the ability to play both.
“We just really thought he’s a really versatile all-around corner, can do everything,” GM Brian Gutekunst said at the NFL league meetings. “We really like his ability to play on the outside, which he hasn’t done a ton of, but the ability to move him inside and match different receivers, and his play style I think is one of the things that really stood out to all of us. Really, really excited to see what he’s going to do for us this year.”
That versatility that Hobbs brings to the Packers is already a prominent element throughout the secondary and is a factor that can further enhance the Jeff Hafley defense.
Like Hobbs, Keisean Nixon can play both inside and out at the drop of a hat if needed. Javon Bullard can handle nickel or safety duties, helping out in the run game, blitzing, or the various coverage responsibilities that come with each role.
Green Bay also believes Evan Williams can take on a variety of responsibilities at the second and third levels, which was a factor in their decision to draft him last April. And we all know Xavier McKinney brings a do-it-all presence to the safety position.
“We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative,” Hafley said last season prior to the Houston game in Week 7. “As you start to see each week, if you turn us on and really watch us, there’s something a little bit new every single week and it’s kind of talked about. We gotta build and build and build and find what we’re good at, who’s good at what and really start to roll.”
Versatility helps a team navigate any potential injuries that may occur during the course of the NFL season. But, from a schematic perspective, it can put a lot on the plate of an opposing offense as it allows the defense to be extremely malleable.
From a preparation standpoint for opposing offenses, there’s a lot to watch and be ready for throughout the week when the defense is putting a variety of looks on tape. Then pre-snap, quarterbacks won’t as easily get a beat on what’s coming based solely on where defenders are lined up because it’s either a different look or where players are aligned or what role they have on a given play could change once the ball is snapped.
While Hafley has his core defensive principles that he has built his scheme around like any offensive or defensive play-caller, his playbook is ever-evolving as well–adapting and adjusting weekly to what the opponent is doing, what Hafley wants to prioritize taking away from the offense, and also what skill sets he has on the roster in order to maximize those abilities.
However, in order for Hafley to have that ability, versatility is the straw that stirs the drink. It’s not only about the individual skill sets on a roster; more importantly, it’s about how all the players and those skill sets work together in unison. When operating as a cohesive and interchangeable unit, that’s when defenses can really level up.
“I think it’s about adapting,” Hafley said last season. “I’ve said this since I got here, it’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.’ It’s each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well?
“Let’s do more of it, make it look different. And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That’s the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go. Any way that we can adapt and get better, both coaching, playing, scheme, personnel, it’s not just like plug and play. Let’s evolve. I think that’s very important.”
On the offensive side of the ball with Banks, that addition helped shore up the starting offensive line unit after Josh Myers parted in free agency. It also affords the Packers additional flexibility to have Jordan Morgan compete at not only right guard, but at left tackle, which is what the plan appears to be this summer.
But in addition to that, the strength of Banks’ game during his career has been as a run-blocker, which includes operating within the gap, power running scheme–which we saw a lot more of from the Packers last season with Josh Jacobs–along with Banks’ movement abilities, and all of that can really help elevate the run game.
“Obviously a really large man that can do all the things that Matt asks those guys to do in our scheme as far as our ability to get off the ball quickly, get out in space and really run,” said Gutekunst of Banks.
“Again, this isn’t a 295-pound man. This is a 330-pound man. His ability to play physical in the run game and anchor down in the pass pro is something where he’s played at a high level for a few years now, and to get a guy like that really in the prime of his career is something I thought would really benefit us.”
As stout as the Packers’ rushing attack was last season, an area of growth for this group is in generating explosive plays. Last season, Jacobs would rank 32nd in PFF’s breakaway rate, which measures how often a ball carrier generated a run of 15-plus yards.
We saw a shift last season from the Packers to being a more run-centric offense, and that does not appear to be going away. But in order to maximize that, and truly lean into that facet, more big plays are needed. Runs of four, five, or six yards are great and keep an offense ahead of the sticks, but explosive plays put up points.
At this time of the offseason, all we have to go off of is what the offense looks like on paper. But from a running game perspective in that regard, the Packers certainly look like an improved team compared to last year, with Banks at left guard and Elgton Jenkins at center.
“You try to avoid the comparisons on a year-to-year basis, but I’m excited about the group that we have coming in,” LaFleur said of the offensive line. “It’s going to take a lot of work, that’s the bottom line. Every season’s a new season, and you can’t take anything for granted. We’re excited about Banks coming in and then moving Elgton back to center. We feel like we have a lot of pieces.”
As was discussed recently, urgency comes in many forms. Just because the outside perspective of what must be done doesn’t align with how the Packers operated internally does not mean that urgency didn’t exist–it was different.
The Packers clearly thought that addressing the offensive line was an urgent matter, and I think we can all agree that with the uncertainty around Jaire Alexander’s future with the team, cornerback was a much more pressing need prior to free agency than what wide receiver and pass rusher were.
Hobbs and Banks aren’t wide receivers or defensive ends, and neither was the top free agent available within their respective position groups, but in terms of what the Packers want to accomplish on both sides of the ball schematically, they each fit quite well, and that can, in turn, elevate the level of play throughout the team.