Packers training camp: Matt LaFleur wants Nate Hobbs to scale back and 9 more observations

New York Times

5 days ago

GREEN BAY, Wis. — During Friday's practice, new Green Bay Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks over the middle during an 11-on-11 period. It was Green Bay's third of four non-padded practices, in which coaches preach avoiding substantial contact.
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On this rep, enough body-to-body contact accompanied Hobbs' pass-breakup that Wicks hit the deck and was slow to get up.
'It happened twice today, but it's all good,' Wicks said of Hobbs. 'We're football players at the end of the day. We're going to have to take some hits, but it's cool. I'm good. … Some guys got a different type (of) motor, and everybody ain't the same when we're competing and going for the ball.'
During his pre-practice news conference Sunday, coach Matt LaFleur was asked if Hobbs needs to tone down his physicality.
'The answer is yes,' LaFleur said. 'This is what I told him: I don't think it's malicious. I think it's one of the things and one of the qualities that we really admired about him, is how he competes. It's just, we talk about competing for the football. We just don't want to go through a person, whoever that person is, to make a play on the ball. I don't mind him going through the hands. We just don't want him going through the body because that's how you end up with people on the ground. We'd all be sick to our stomach if somebody got hurt.'
The Packers signed Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million contract in March after the 2021 fifth-round pick spent his first four years with the Raiders. He's expected to play both outside cornerback and nickel for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, helping Green Bay's secondary compensate for the loss of cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Hobbs' tenacity is what has those inside Lambeau Field eager for his Packers debut, with defensive back Javon Bullard saying, 'Nate's a dog, man. Nate comes with it every day. The energy, the swag, the enthusiasm and just pure want-to. Nate's a guy who's definitely going to make our team better.'
However, LaFleur wants Hobbs to save some of it for games that count and not his own teammates. That may be easier said than done for the 26-year-old.
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'I mean, that's football, you know what I'm saying?' Hobbs said after Sunday's practice. 'Things like that (are) gonna happen. I just feel like it's the nature of the game, and if you playing it the right way, they gon' have to tell you to slow down. Obviously, you gotta be a pro about it. Obviously, you need everybody on the team, but I'm a football player, man. I'm not gon' stop being a football player.'
Shoutout to the hometowns@Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/C436tZsBce
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 27, 2025
The Packers strap on pads for the first time Monday, a practice Hobbs eagerly awaits — especially since he thought he'd be wearing them Sunday.
'My mind was right,' Hobbs said. 'I was a little hurt when they said we didn't have 'em on, but I think it's just a mentality. Pads tomorrow, (so) we gon' see who's who.'
Hobbs said he told Wicks and the other receivers his physicality in practice is nothing personal, but simply part of his nature. He added that he wants teammates to trust him.
'It ain't no hard feelings,' Hobbs said. 'That's just how I get down.'
1. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Sam Brown Jr. faces tall odds to make the 53-man roster, so he's probably better off setting his sights on a practice squad spot in a jam-packed Packers wide receiver room. His performance to conclude Sunday's practice was a good start. In an end-of-game period, the No. 3 offense began at the 12-yard line with nine seconds left and no timeouts while trailing 27-21. Quarterback Sean Clifford threaded a beautiful pass to Brown on an out route, and the rookie made a nice catch with cornerback Greg Junior in coverage.
Brown thought he crossed the pylon for a touchdown, but he was ruled short. On the next play, Clifford hit a wide-open Brown on a shallow cross to win the drill for the offense.
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'I was very hyped for him because I've seen him work,' Clifford said. 'I've seen how he's gone about his business. He's not perfect; I'm not perfect, but I feel like he's been coming on and making plays, which is all that really matters.'
Brown is a close friend of Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden since they were teammates at Houston in 2023 before transferring to Miami and Texas, respectively, for the 2024 season. While his buddy fights to be the Packers' No. 1 receiver, Brown will be fighting for a job. He'll do so as the first wide receiver to wear No. 17 for the Packers — Brown didn't ask for that number — since they traded Davante Adams ahead of the 2023 draft.
'You wanna know what's crazy? That's my favorite receiver,' Brown said. 'The route of me going undrafted, I took that personal. So, I just come into the facility, head down, ready to work every day. People look at it as like, 'Oh, you a step behind.' I look at it as, I just got more steps to get to. It's not necessarily where you start. It's how you end.'
First player to wear Jaire Alexander's No. 23 is recently signed RB Izzy Abanikanda pic.twitter.com/7zpaPt8qoY
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) July 27, 2025
2. Both left guard Aaron Banks (back) and wide receiver Savion Williams (concussion) returned to practice Sunday in a limited capacity. Each participated in early drill work, but neither suited up for 11-on-11 periods. Running back Amar Johnson returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him the first three practices, while wide receiver Christian Watson (knee), center Elgton Jenkins (back), linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), defensive lineman Collin Oliver (hamstring) and offensive lineman John Williams (back) remained sidelined.
3. Undrafted rookie defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse from Georgia earned hearty praise from assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase on consecutive plays against the run early in practice. At 6-foot-4 and 327 pounds, with 42 starts for the Bulldogs under his belt, Stackhouse could be a name to watch on cutdown day.
4. Defensive end Rashan Gary might be the biggest grinder on the team, which was evident Sunday when he chased wide receiver Jayden Reed well downfield after Reed took a pitch from quarterback Jordan Love. Gary ended the play on the ground out of bounds after knocking the ball loose — after Reed crossed the white line — an admirable practice effort that those around him enjoyed.
5. Love has thrown a couple of interceptions in recent years in which he throws the ball directly into a linebacker's chest. It happened with Robert Spillane against the Las Vegas Raiders two years ago, with Kamu Grugier-Hill against the Minnesota Vikings last year and in the playoffs against Zack Baun and the Philadelphia Eagles. On Sunday, it was second-year linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper's turn. Hopper was one of three defenders near Love's lofted ball short over the middle and picked it off with ease. Whether it's better manipulating linebackers with his eyes or simply seeing them before he throws their way, Love must eliminate those kinds of throws.
6. Trey Hill might not be long for the center position in Green Bay. The 2021 sixth-round pick of the Bengals, whom the Packers signed in January, has bounced a snap and skied one in the past two practices. Coaches won't have much patience for that, even on their reserve units.
7. One of Love's nicest plays of the summer so far came during the end-of-game drill. With four seconds left and the offense down six with no timeouts remaining and the ball on the 12-yard line, Love flung a pass off his back foot under pressure into the end zone for tight end Tucker Kraft. With safety Evan Williams draped on him, Kraft hauled in the touchdown.
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'I can go up and get the ball,' Kraft said. 'I've shown that time and time again. It's just getting the opportunity to showcase that.'
8. My best guess is that 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan will be the first offensive lineman off the bench this season. He has already worked at three different spots through four practices, left tackle, left guard and right guard. That might be a sign coaches are preparing him to fill in at three different positions on game days if injuries arise. On Day 1, he started at right guard. The last two practices, he's started at left guard with Banks sidelined. Sean Rhyan has been starting at center with Jenkins sidelined, but Rhyan said, 'in theory,' he will return to right guard when Jenkins returns. Rhyan has also been reassured by seeing Morgan more in the mix at left tackle this spring and summer because, to him, it means coaches have more confidence in him at right guard after a season in which he and Morgan rotated when Morgan was healthy.
'It was them saying, 'OK, he can play ball,'' Rhyan said. 'So that gave me more motivation through this offseason to make sure that stays the case. But obviously, I'm going to play my game and do my best at whatever (position) they put me at. But yeah, I think that was a reassuring thing.'
9. Today's quote of the day comes from reigning first-team All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney.
'I'm pretty much obsessed with trying to help the guys around me and bring them to the level I'm at or higher.'