The Green Bay Packers were not predicted to perform very well in during the 2023 NFL season for a variety of reasons. Of course, the transition from future Hall of Famer quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love as the starter was the chief reason among them. However, there were many more question marks surrounding last year’s team than just who the starting quarterback was.
The young roster surrounding Love also generated many questions going into the season. However, by mid-year, they had started to put it all together and ended the year on an extremely high level of play. This gave fans much hope that the immediate future will boast another high-octane offense.
What was most disappointing about last season, though, was the defense. For years, the Packers have used their first-round pick(s) mostly on defensive players. Last year’s defense boasted eight former first-round picks (when healthy).
Unfortunately, they never played like a unit comprised of that much talent.
The Green Bay Packers Are Making Many Changes on Defense
One of the first changes that the Packers made this offseason was to fire defensive coordinator Joe Barry. To replace him, Matt LaFleur hired Jeff Hafley, who was the head coach at Boston College at the time. Hafley himself is bringing many changes to the defense, including switching from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3.
Green Bay also decided to add two young linebackers in the 2024 NFL Draft in Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper. Cooper is expected to start right away along with veterans Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie on what is sure to be a much more exciting linebacker group under Hafley.
In a somewhat surprising but not all that unexpected move, the Packers also decided to completely redo their safety room. Darnell Savage, a former first-round pick, was allowed to walk in free agency. Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens, who each played significant snaps at the position last year, were also allowed to leave in free agency.
To replace them, Green Bay signed Xavier McKinney, the best free agent safety on the market. They also selected three safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft: Javon Bullard, Evan Smith, and Kitan Oladapo.
Bullard is projected to start alongside McKinney this season.
PFF Names the Hiring of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley as the Green Bay Packers’ Best Offseason Move
In an article in which he identifies the best offseason move by every NFC team, PFF’s Trevor Sikkema named Green Bay’s hiring of Hafley as their most impactful and important decision so far this year:
“The addition of safety Xavier McKinney was a consideration here, but Green Bay switching things up at defensive coordinator with Jeff Hafley seems like their most significant move.
“The Packers will be moving to a 4-3 base defense instead of the 3-4 they’ve run for the past decade. Hafley, a former defensive backs coach, likely needed a top-notch safety to make his scheme go, and Green Bay got one in McKinney. The Packers didn’t post a team run-defense grade above 62.5 in the Joe Barry era.”
It is noteworthy, too, that several Packers defensive players have spoken incredibly high of Hafley and the new scheme. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark was quoted as saying, “Now this is giving us a chance to shut all that other stuff off … just use your ability, go up the field and be disruptive. I just think with my get-off and how I am, I think it’s going to suit me well.”
If the defense performs half as well as they are building themselves up to, Green Bay will still have a better defense under Hafley than any under Barry.
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