After Dee Alford left the Atlanta Falcons to sign with with the Buffalo Bills, it forced more than just Ian Cunningham to re-evaluate. Raheem Morris was screwed over too, as Alford was widely expected to follow Morris and join the San Francisco 49ers in free agency after Morris was hired as their new DC.
However, the 49-year-old had a big miss in his first offseason back as a defensive coordinator with Alford. Not only did he miss out on a reunion with a cornerback who broke out for the Falcons down the stretch in 2025, losing out on him forced him to pivot towards signing a player who is much worse.
In the wake of the Alford news, the 49ers agreed to terms with a different starting nickel cornerback in ex-Green Bay Packer Nate Hobbs. They signed the 26-year-old to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million, which is a low-risk investment, but after the season he had in 2025, this one is pretty hilarious.
Just one season after signing a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers, Hobbs was cut by Green Bay after a dismal opening season as a Cheesehead in which he was promptly replaced by Benjamin St-Juste once free agency started. And for Falcons fans, watching Morris flop is incredibly cathartic.
Falcons fans should love seeing Dee Alford spurn Raheem Morris and the 49ers by signing with Buffalo
Not only is San Francisco's secondary looking pretty rough in 2026, signing Hobbs won't make it any better. While Renardo Green has a bright future, Deommodore Lenoir isn't the same player he was a few seasons ago. And Hobbs is going to complicate the path to playing time for nickel Upton Stout.
Stout had a promising rookie year and is the perfect blitz-heavy corner that should thrive in Morris' system that has produced some solid DBs over the years. The only problem is that the man expected to take his spot in San Francisco's starting lineup was one of the worst defenders in the NFL in 2025.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Illinois product's 61.7 PFF grade was a bit below average, but his 58.1 coverage grade ranked 75th out of 114 qualified cornerbacks. However, this could have been affected by an injury-riddled campaign in which he appeared in just 11 games (and made five starts).
The 2021 fifth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders has been productive in the past, but is not a No. 1 corner, let alone a viable boundary corner. Like Alford, he has the versatility to play both inside and out, so there's upside in the Hobbs deal, but he's best suited as a depth option for Morris' defense.