Packers releasing $48 million starter should be of interest to Cowboys and Chiefs

The Green Bay Packers have just parted ways with a starting defender who should be on the radar of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.

According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers have informed cornerback Nate Hobbs that he will be released. The decision comes as Green Bay signed fellow cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in free agency.

Hobbs was signed to a four-year, $48 million deal in free agency, but it did not come close to panning out, as the veteran struggled all season long while also dealing with injury.

But we can definitely place some blame on the Packers here, as Green Bay had Hobbs playing out of position. He is strictly a slot cornerback, yet the Packers had him playing the majority of his snaps on the boundary.

The release of Hobbs should be music to the ears of the Chiefs and Cowboys, both of whom have a specific need for a slot cornerback like Hobbs.

The Cowboys never replaced Jourdan Lewis last offseason and owner Jerry Jones has lamented letting him go on more than one occasion, and he admitted he has a greater appreciation for the position as a result.

"We let our nickel [cornerback] get out of here last year," Jones said. "We have a little more appreciation for where we are at nickel- or aren't- at nickel."

Dallas did sign Jalen Thompson on Monday and he does have experience playing in the slot, but the Cowboys will need him at safety, also.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Chiefs have lost three good defensive backs, including Trent McDuffie and Bryan Cook, both of whom played a lot of slot corner over their years in KC.

The biggest concern with Hobbs is his injury history. The veteran has never played a full 17 games, missing six games in three of his five seasons, while missing four and one in his other two.

That said, he shouldn't be expensive on the open market, and combined with his past coverage numbers in the slot, Hobbs shouldn't have any issue finding a new home soon.

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