Former Raiders Pro Bowler Sounds Off on Key Offseason Move

Former Raiders All-Pro lineman Lincoln Kennedy recently shared his thoughts about Hobbs' departure.

"I was heartbroken when we lost Nate Hobbs. I love Nate Hobbs. I absolutely thought he was one of the best nickel corners in the league," Kennedy recently said on the "Locked On Raiders Podcast."

"Playing that position, with that amount of space in the center part of the field and being effective in the run game as well as the pass game, I thought he was an All-Star to come. So I was absolutely heartbroken when we lost him."

Hobbs missed time with injuries in each of his seasons with the Raiders and got more money from the Green Bay Packers than the Raiders likely offered him. Still, Hobbs showed plenty of talent when healthy.

While Hobbs was a solid player for the Raiders, a new regime only heightened the chances he would leave in free agency.

The veteran cornerback is one of the critical pieces from last season that the Raiders are hoping their offseason additions will compensate for. Hobbs had his issues but without him, Las Vegas enters with what is widely regarded as one of the worst groups of cornerbacks in the league.

The Raiders' group of cornerbacks will be led by Jakorian Bennett, who proved he has the potential to be one of the better cornerbacks in the league. However, he must prove he can stay healthy long enough to do so.

Earlier this offseason, Bennett noted how things are coming along for the Raiders' cornerbacks and Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll's impact on the group.

"It's a lot of competition, but that's what's going to make everybody better. We got [Eric] Stokes, D-Cam [Decamerion Richardson, DP [Darien Porter], Kyu [Blu Kelly], Sam [Webb], all them boys, everybody's good, everybody's nice. So it makes you have to go out here when you on the practice field to just give it all you got and just leave it out on the field," Bennett said.

"[Caroll is] all about just getting the ball and that's why low key want to kind of implement in my game. Because I know, like you said, I had a lot of breakups or whatever, but if I could turn those breakups to picks, I can really help change the game. And so, he's really all about just getting the ball back. It's all about the ball, that's what we preach each and every day. So, him instilling that confidence in us, it means a lot. And it's going to be translated to the field." 

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