Green Bay Finally Has A Defense the League Wants To Pilfer

The coaching carousel is in full effect following the end of the regular season, as new regimes fill out their staffs.

The Green Bay Packers had two initial openings: Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements retired, and they fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich.

However, Green Bay's coaching staff was highly sought after by greedy teams wanting a taste of the Green and Gold. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich had head coaching and play-calling offensive coordinator interviews. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley interviewed for the New York Jets' head coaching gig. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was rumored to be in play in Dallas.

While the three coordinators are set to return in 2025, teams lured away members of Jeff Hafley's defensive staff.

After one season in Green Bay, esteemed linebackers coach Anthony Campanile joins Liam Coen's staff as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator. He's also taking defensive quality-control coach Anthony Perkins down to Florida with him as his new secondary coach.

Being a good NFL team means facing some coaching brain drain. Teams want a bit of what made other programs successful. It stinks to need to replace highly regarded coaches, but it means that Green Bay finally has a defense teams want to emulate.

It's not like members of previous coaching staffs couldn't find a job after their time in Green Bay. Former DCs Dom Capers, Mike Pettine, and Joe Barry are still employed in the league, though not as defensive coordinators, and many of their former assistant coaches are still in relevant positions.

Still, they weren't as in demand as Hafley's staff. Teams were actively poaching Hafley and his assistants this year rather than just finding a new home for recently released position coaches.

Pettine's complicated system was difficult for younger players to learn, which wasn't ideal for Green Bay's draft-and-develop approach. Barry used a variation of the popular Vic Fangio system, but it's looking like the Fangio system might only work under Fangio himself.

Hafley's aggressive, ball-hawking defense wasn't perfect in Year 1. Still, it was a welcome change after years of inconsistent units. Under Hafley's system, players attacked the ball as promised; the team finished fourth in takeaways a year after being one of the worst in the league.

The Packers weren't just a feast-or-famine defensive that lived off of turnovers. They finished sixth in total defense, sixth in scoring defense, and fifth in yards per play. Hafley's squad even shut out the New Orleans Saints.

Critics may argue that the Packers only beat up on bad teams. Injuries had decimated New Orleans' roster, and Spencer Rattler couldn't carry the team. Still, previous Green Bay defenses couldn't beat the teams they should have. It'll be a long time before anyone forgets Tommy DeVito tearing through Joe Barry's defense like me through a plate of chicken wings.

The defensive line was a bit of a letdown, hence they released Rebrovich. Still, the safety and linebacker groups took massive leaps forward after being a weakness for years. Hafley and his staff creatively worked through injuries, put rookies in a position to succeed, and actually prepared for opponents.

Hafley's experience as Boston College's head coach gives him strong leadership and management abilities. He'll likely get other NFL head coach interviews if he builds on his first season in Green Bay.

The Packers promoted defensive assistant Sean Duggan to linebackers coach, and former New England Patriots DC DeMarcus Covington will become the new defensive line coach. Duggan has big shoes to fill, as the Packers hope for even bigger leaps from their linebacker group and will bank on Covington getting more out of the disappointing pass rush than Rebrovich could.

Hafley and LaFleur hired a mix of internal and external candidates, and they may need to maintain that balance if they lose more coaches after the 2025 season.

It would have been unfortunate to lose Hafley a year after he revolutionized Green Bay's defense, but that risk means they made a good hire. Hafley turned around an underperforming defense and got excellent play from rookies. Bad teams looking to stop being bad want that kind of energy and turnaround.

The hope is that LaFleur and Hafley can continue finding and developing coaching talent to keep the defense afloat, following other potential poachings in the future. Still, the fact that teams are actively trying to steal Green Bay's coaches is good. The Packers finally have a defense that the rest of the league envy.