Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs set to have a big comeback season in 2024

In 2023, the Las Vegas Raiders had an elite defense, a sentence that hadn't been uttered about the silver and black in over a decade. But it came at a price—their offense was bad. The year prior, the offense was good, and the defense was bad. In 2024, they could have both sides of the ball as a formidable force.

Last year, despite the defense performing admirably, certain players on the team faced challenges, including a key player who has consistently carried a significant load on that side of the ball. Nate Hobbs, a versatile player who has excelled in various positions such as outside cornerback and nickel, faced a tough year after a stellar performance in 2022 on a struggling defense.

But the Raiders should have a better overall unit in the secondary this year than last season. So, maybe, just maybe, is Hobbs in for a comeback season? Pro Football Focus seems to think so, as they listed their one player for each team who can have a comeback season in 2024. Here is what they wrote about Hobbs:

Hobbs was phenomenal in 2021, with an 80.1 overall grade and a 78.0 coverage mark after allowing under 400 yards all season. But he didn't match that level of play the past two years, never exceeding a 69.0 overall grade in 2022 or 2023. A big reason why could be that Hobbs played on the outside much more in that span than his first year. Las Vegas has big questions in its secondary, but a full season of Jack Jones — who was a ballhawk late last year — could enable Hobbs to stay more in the slot, where he excelled before. - PFF

With Jack Jones playing his first full season in Patrick Graham's system next season, Jakorian Bennett being more developed, Brandon Facyson being healthy, and rookie Decamerion Richardson now on the team, the secondary should be much better in the cornerback room, which will only help the secondary as a whole - limiting mistakes.

The Raiders' secondary is set up to be a decent unit in 2024 if not a great one, and it could be because of Hobbs, who played a crucial role in a bad secondary in 2021 and 2022. And, now, he'll be healthy, where he has been pretty banged up in the past. But only time will tell.