Nate Hobbs didn’t just arrive at Packers camp; he made a significant impact. From Day 1, the former Raider was aggressive, twitchy, and unapologetically physical. He jumped a short route intended for Josh Jacobs during a red zone install and nearly intercepted Jordan Love. The next day? He was baited into a false start by Love’s hard count. But he came back two plays later to break up a deep shot intended for Dontayvion Wicks. It was the kind of fire Green Bay’s defense hasn’t seen consistently since its early-2010s prime. And Brian Gutekunst loves it.

The Packers GM stepped in with a message aimed straight at Hobbs. But loud enough for the whole roster to hear. “We’re trying to become a certain kind of football team that can win and win deep into the playoffs,” Gutekunst told reporters after practice. “There’s a certain kind of physicality you have to have and Nate Hobbs brings all that. And that’s why we brought him here.”

Then came the punchline. “It’s very important that all our guys have that kind of edge to ‘em,” Gutekunst added, “but I’d rather tell a guy to scale back than ask him to be tougher.” Meaning? We love the fire. Just don’t burn your teammates. It was a moment that froze camp.

Marshawn Lloyd took the handoff, rounded the corner, and in a blink, he was down. Pads popped as cornerback Nate Hobbs closed in, and for a second, it looked like Hobbs’ aggressive style had gone too far. Again. But as it turns out, the hit wasn’t the culprit. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst addressed the situation the following day, and his comments shifted the narrative away from blame.

“I think he kind of came around the corner there, he planted to change directions,” Gutekunst said during his July 29 press conference. “They’re doing some testing. We’ll probably know more today, see where that goes.” Coach Matt LaFleur, after reviewing the film, backed that up. The footage showed Lloyd never fully planted his leg before the collision with Hobbs, suggesting the injury occurred just before contact.

Nate Hobbs agrees to tone down after Lloyd’s incident

Still, the optics were tough. Hobbs had already been flagged internally for being too physical in earlier camp reps. At the moment, coaches pulled him from the series. But even Hobbs later said the hit wasn’t malicious; he went low because Lloyd was going low. Just football instincts. He admitted he was amped for day 1 in pads and promised to dial it back.

He was benched for the next series after the Lloyd hit, and made a point to clarify afterward that it wasn’t dirty. Hobbs owned it after practice. “It wasn’t malicious,” he told reporters. “I didn’t see him until the last second. I got off a blocker, I saw him go low, I went low. He hit me just as I got low. But I can’t do that.” He admitted adrenaline got the best of him.

The Packers wanted fire when they signed Nate Hobbs. It was the kind of tackle you applaud on Sundays. But the kind Matt LaFleur had warned against just hours earlier. “We need everybody to stay up on their feet,” LaFleur had told the team that morning. “We’re not going to the ground today. That’s the expectation.”

Lloyd remained on the turf for a moment before walking off under his power. He didn’t enter the medical tent and stayed in full pads to watch the rest of practice from the sideline, a positive sign. But he did not return to drills. The severity of the injury remains unclear.

Hobbs also acknowledged LaFleur’s response, saying, “He’s still got a job to do. He’s the head coach, and he’s got to keep things in order. I wholeheartedly agree.” The Packers brought Hobbs in this offseason for his toughness, honed over four seasons with the Raiders, where his calling card was fearlessness at the point of contact.

For now, both player and coach are aligned, keep the edge, but protect the team. And for MarShawn Lloyd? The hope is that the hit looked worse than the injury itself. But until then, the message is clear. Camp intensity is good. Reckless fire? That’s what gets you pulled.