When Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur dismissed defensive coordinator Joe Barry following another loss to the 49ers in the playoffs, he knew he had to get it right with the next play-caller for the defense.
LaFleur has had three defensive coordinators in his six seasons as the Packers’ coach. Neither Mike Pettine nor Joe Barry was able to extract greatness from a defense that is now comprised of seven first-round picks.
Matt LaFleur needed a defensive coordinator who could maximize the talent of several first-rounders, create a stout run-stopping unit, and help generate more takeaways. In 2023, Green Bay had just seven interceptions and 18 total takeaways. The run defense had been an Achilles heel for over a decade.
Entrusting a defense teeming with talent and unrealized potential to a new coach proved to be an excruciating process for the Packers, but it has paid off to this point.
After courting Wisconsin’s Jim Leonhard for several years, LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst shifted their focus from the collegiate ranks to the NFL.
Former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich, and Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde were involved in the team’s pursuit of a new defensive coordinator.
Other names included in the search were Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, and Baltimore Ravens coaches Dennard Wilson and Zachary Orr.
After an exhaustive interviewing process, the Packers hired former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. Hafley is a friend of Matt LaFleur, and he was Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2019. Hafley had also been a defensive backs coach in the NFL.
The most significant change for Green Bay’s defense is transitioning from a 3-4 base to a 4-3 front under Hafley. The Packers had not utilized a 4-3 base since 2008, when Bob Sanders (not to be confused with former Colts stalwart safety Bob Sanders) called the shots on defense. It was also Aaron Rodgers’s first season as the full-time starting quarterback.
General manager Brian Gutekunst lured former New York Giants stud safety Xavier McKinney to Green Bay by making him the fourth highest-paid safety in the league.
McKinney signed a four-year, $67 million contract in a maneuver that continued to accentuate the polar opposite approaches to free agency between Gutekunst and his late predecessor, Ted Thompson.
No more excuses could be made. Not for a defense with seven first-round picks and a superstar free agent signing. Not for a perennially beleaguered defense that currently costs nearly $110 million, more than only six other teams in the NFL and nearly more than the Rams and Panthers combined.
Jeff Hafley’s top priority was simple: generate takeaways, be ball hawks, and give the offense a short field and extra possessions. The Packers picked off opposing quarterbacks just seven times last year, and that was unacceptable.
In the Packers’ first nine games of this season, the defense has produced 19 takeaways, the most in the NFL, and already more than all of last year. They have logged ten interceptions, which trails only the Saints and two of their NFC North rivals – the Lions and Vikings.
The takeaways are not the only massive improvement, either. Here are the team’s following ranks:
Despite being just 26th in blitz rate, Green Bay does have 22 sacks, good for 12th. The modest pass-rushing production is a product of not only a low blitz rate but also the team needing much more from Rashan Gary and Lucas Van Ness.
Preston Smith was also traded at the deadline back on November 4th, so more opportunities will arise for Arron Mosby and Brenton Cox Jr.
Despite the lack of a consistent pass rush, the numbers show that Hafley has already put his stamp on a unit that has routinely impeded the team since 2011. Hafley’s imprint on the defense only begins there, though.
Xavier McKinney is not only a front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year but also one of the most significant free-agent signings in team history.
That might seem like a bold statement for a player with just nine games with the team. After all, the Packers are the team that pioneered free agency when then-GM Ron Wolf signed Reggie White, the first marquee free agent signing ever, in 1993.
The Packers also gave Charles Woodson a seven-year, $52 million contract in 2006. Woodson reinvented his game, dedicated himself, and quelled any doubts about his work ethic and locker-room presence. Woodson reverted to his 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders form that resulted in four Pro Bowl appearances, two All-Pro selections, and the 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
The 1997 Heisman trophy winner won Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, his fourth season with the Packers, and he won Super Bowl XLV with the team in the 2010 season. Last but certainly not last, there was Julius Peppers. Peppers, who already had 118.5 career sacks, a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, and three First-Team All-Pro selections, put pen to paper with the Packers on March 15th, 2014.
While the new Hall of Famer was not what he once was with the Panthers and Bears, he still amassed 25 sacks in 48 games as a Packer, and went to the Pro Bowl in 2015.
First and foremost, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst can thank his New York counterpart – Giants GM Joe Schoen – for allowing Xavier McKinney to become a free agent in the first place. History repeated itself as the Packers repeatedly poached a prized defensive free agent. Thanks, G-Men!
So far this season, through nine games, here are the Alabama product’s accomplishments:
Needless to say, Xavier McKinney has had a historic 2024 campaign for the Packers, and it just keeps getting better. If the previous factoids weren’t enough, then also consider that Pro Football Focus has McKinney ranked as the third-best safety in the league and second-best in pass coverage. He has also allowed just a 50.3 passer rating when targeted.
The Packers are 6-3 through their first nine games, and they have a bye week now. Only two of their remaining seven opponents – the Lions and Vikings – have a winning record. The other five – the Bears, 49ers, Dolphins, Seahawks, and Saints – have a combined record of 16-26. San Francisco’s offensive DVOA still ranks seventh, but the other four do not rank higher than 17th.
Even in the September 29th loss against Minnesota, Jeff Hafley’s defense still had three takeaways and allowed 3.5 yards per rush. Against Detroit on November 3rd, Hafley’s squad allowed just 261 total yards of offense and 4.7 yards per play.
From a quality of opposing offense standpoint, the defense does not have too many imposing challenges in the second half of the season. Even against Detroit and Minnesota – offenses which rank fourth and 14th in EPA/play, respectively – the unit proved it can take the ball away and stymie elite offenses.
Jeff Hafley has this defense playing at a near-elite level. The key to attaining elite status will be extracting more of a pass rush and continuing to shut down underwhelming opposing offenses with ease.
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