Three traits the Packers’ new defensive coordinator must have
The search is underway for a new defensive coordinator for the Packers.
DC After Green Bay’s playoff exit, Joe Barry was fired, and head coach Matt LaFleur may find that selecting his successor is the most important choice of his career.
With quarterback Jordan Love and wideouts Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs leading the way, LaFleur has established himself as an offensive guru, and his young group appears capable of contending in the upcoming campaign.
Barry was never able to maximize the potential of the defense, despite their great potential. The Packers have a lot of time to win a Super Bowl, but LaFleur needs to choose wisely when making this next job.
With that in mind, here are three qualities he should look for in his next defensive coordinator:
1. Aggressive
The fact that Barry was renowned for his passivity was one of the reasons he didn’t work in Green Bay. Barry’s secondary would often be caught gazing as far back as ten yards, and occasionally even farther, while the Packers were defending a third-and-short.
Too many simple first-round completions created a defense that was brittle and prone to collapse, particularly in crucial situations.
When you consider that Barry seems to be allergic to blitzing, Green Bay’s defense was much too flimsy.
With top athletes like Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, and Quay Walker at his disposal, a defensive coordinator with an aggressive game plan is essential.
2. Able to adjust
An further issue during the Barry era in Green Bay was the team’s incapacity to make changes when things weren’t going well. It seems that Barry’s strategy was fixed after he had prepared for a rival. Things looked good, of course, when he got it right.
Barry seemed unable to respond, though, whether an offense had him figured out or changed at halftime.
Take a look at the 2022 season opener for the Minnesota Vikings, when wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. From the beginning of the game, he was running open, and Barry was unable to modify his defense to stop him.
Superstar players are often absent from games like that, but it happened far too frequently.
3. Be able to punish average quarterbacks
The inconsistent nature of Green Bay’s defense in 2023–2024 contributed to some of its negative perceptions. For a while, the Packers were very effective when facing quarterbacks like Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, and Patrick Mahomes. Subsequently, they created the illusion that quarterbacks in the middle echelon, such as Baker Mayfield and Tommy DeVito, would become future Hall of Famers.
Even if a strong defense can’t stop a brilliant quarterback, it can slow him down. But against a quarterback that is mid- to low-tier? Barry’s team was never able to figure out how to completely shut off fake quarterbacks; good defenses have a way of doing that.
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