GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs, who was signed this offseason to be one of the cornerstones of their defense, underwent knee surgery over the weekend to address a meniscus tear in his right knee
Hobbs is expected to miss the remainder of training camp but could return in time for Green Bay's regular-season opener Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions.
Hobbs' surgery took place early Saturday morning and did not include any other complications, according to a source. Hobbs could have played with the injury, according to another source, but ran the risk of making the injury worse, so the decision was made to take care of it immediately.
"I get paid to do this, so anything that's a concern on my body, I need to try to get on right away," Hobbs said. "I felt like it was something we needed to do. They gave me the option of whether I wanted to do it the next day or the day after, I'm like, 'We can do this today. Let's get ahead of starting to get back.'
Head coach Matt LaFleur did not offer a specific date for his return.
"I'm not going to put a timetable on it," LaFleur said. "We're hoping to get him back here sooner than later."
Hobbs practiced last Thursday before missing Friday's practice and ultimately opting for surgery on Saturday.
The Packers signed Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million contract in March as a free agent. He stood out right away in training camp because of his physicality. In fact, at one point coach Matt LaFleur had to ask Hobbs to dial it back and save it for live football.
"The thing you admire most about him is he's passionate about the game and he loves to compete," LaFleur said earlier in training camp. "That's one of the reasons we went out and got him is he shows it. He's that consistently on a daily basis."
Hobbs, who played his first four seasons for the Raiders, missed six games last season and 16 over the previous three seasons combined because of ankle injuries, a hand injury and illness. The Packers signed Hobbs in part because former cornerback Jaire Alexander could not stay healthy. Alexander played in only seven games in each of the past two seasons and was released in June when he and the Packers could not agree to a revised contract.
Hobbs, 26, is expected to start as one of the two outside cornerbacks along with Keisean Nixon. Both Hobbs and Nixon have played extensively as nickel/inside corners, but the Packers believe both can play on the edge and have been using Javon Bullard as nickelback. With Hobbs out, Carrington Valentine is likely next up at outside cornerback.
The Packers also brought back veteran cornerback Corey Ballentine, who played in 37 games for Green Bay from 2022-24, but was not re-signed until Monday.
"(He's) a guy that's got experience and knows our system not only on defense but on 'we-fense,'" LaFleur said, referring to the nickname for the Packers special teams. "Really excited to see him."