The Detroit Lions were stuck on their couches last month when the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears duked it out in the Wild Card Round. The NFC North rivals have since been eliminated from the playoff race, though, and everyone is back to square one, making it interesting to see what the Lions can do to help leapfrog their divisional counterparts this offseason.
As important as it is for the Lions to control their destiny, getting some outside help in the NFC North battle certainly won't hurt. That's what happened on Wednesday afternoon, when Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst revealed that he won't be making major changes to his team's cornerback room, suggesting to fans that CB Keisean Nixon is coming off a “very, very good year.”
Unsurprisingly, Packers fans in the replies aren't buying what Gutekunst is selling, which means the Lions have every reason to celebrate the rival GM's blunder.
Lions Are Big Winners from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst's CB Plans
The great news is that Gunekunst's abysmal plans for Green Bay's cornerback situation didn't stop there. The recently extended executive added that he expects fellow Packers CB Nate Hobbs to return for the 2026 season (h/t @WesHod), even though he was, arguably, one of the 2025 offseason's biggest free agency busts.
Although it's normal for a GM to gas up his players, it isn't hard to figure out that Gutekunst's words don't match what the CB duo accomplished (or, rather, what they didn't) on the field. Despite not focusing as much on kickoff returns, Nixon turned in one of his worst performances in coverage, giving up 55 catches for 623 yards, allowing opposing QBs a 105.4 passer rating, and getting beaten for a career-worst seven touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus.
If Nixon wasn't hurting the Packers with his lackluster coverage, his lack of discipline caused headaches of its own. He was flagged for 13 penalties, which is more than he had in the six previous seasons combined (12). No matter how it's sliced, that isn't a player you can trust.
Meanwhile, Hobbs looked slow and out of place on the perimeter of Green Bay's secondary. At least, the games in which he was healthy enough to suit up. The 2021 fifth-round pick missed six games due to injury in his first season after signing a four-year, $48 million contract, as he surrendered personal-worst performances in yards per catch (14.1) and passer rating (125.3).
With Javon Bullard more suited for the slot, the Packers will likely be forced to play Hobbs on the outside again. Even though he was inactive for the two games against them, the Lions should be excited, knowing that Hobbs will be around for the likes of Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown to take advantage of.
The Lions went 0-2 against the Packers during the latest regular season, so it's easy to see why the former will celebrate their rival franchise being comfortable with their shaky CB situation. Hopefully, new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing realizes the gift that's dropped in his lap and finds a way to set his playmakers up to succeed twice against Green Bay this fall.