With a record of 3-6, the Green Bay Packers have a lot of evaluating to do. It just isn’t the record that should alarm the Packers, it’s how this team has played. Nine games into the season the Packers lack an identity. The front office, the coaching staff, and of course the players are all being evaluated. With playoff aspirations all but over, front-office staff, coaches, and players are all being evaluated. In our last piece, we evaluated the offensive coaching staff. For this piece, we dive the Green Bay Packers defensive staff.
Evaluating the Green Bay Packers Defensive Staff
As we previously stated, it is doubtful that head coach Matt LaFleur will lose his job after this season. However, he will enter 2024 with his seat being very warm. Because of that, LaFleur will need to take a very deep look at his coaching staff, on both sides of the ball. He will need to determine if he has the right assistant coaches on his staff to turn things around.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has spent a lot of draft capital on the defense since taking over general manager duties from Ted Thompson. However, that capital hasn’t turned into success. There is a very good chance that Gutekunst and his scouting staff have failed to select the wrong players. But there is no turning back. The Packers are in too deep and must move forward with the personnel they have. So knowing that, it will be up to the Green Bay Packers defensive staff to get the most out of the current players. Now LaFleur must determine if he has the right people on his defensive staff to do so.
Joe Barry, Defensive Coordinator
One of the biggest reasons that Matt LaFleur finds himself in a warm seat is his decision not only to hire Joe Barry as his defensive coordinator but to keep him in charge of the Packers’ defense. LaFleur never should have hired Barry in the first place. He was a two-time failed defensive coordinator, first with the Detroit Lions and then with the Washington Commanders/Redskins. While Barry did have some success as a linebackers coach, he has never found success as a defensive coordinator. But still, LaFleur chose him and the results have been disastrous.
Barry’s defensive scheme doesn’t fit the personnel that Gutekunst has accumulated since taking over as general manager. His lack of in-game adjustments makes him one of the worst defensive coordinators in the NFL. It’s time that LaFleur pulls the plug on the Barry experiment. He needs to find a coordinator who not only runs a defense that matches the personnel but one that has some creativity.
Jerry Montgomery, Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach
Jerry Montgomery has been a part of the Packers defensive staff since 2015. A holdover from Mike McCarthy’s staff, Montgomery has worked his way up the coaching ladder, going from a defensive assistant to defensive line coach and finally defensive line coach/run game coordinator. While he has earned promotions, the defensive line has failed to reach their potential under Montgomery’s guidance.
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Packers’ defense has been their lack of success stopping the run. That starts with the Packers defensive line. Kenny Clark is a solid pass rusher, but he continues to struggle in stopping the run. In his second season with the Packers, former first-round pick Devonte Wyatt continues to struggle to develop. In fact, Wyatt has lost playing time to rookie Karl Brooks, who has outplayed Wyatt. TJ Slaton has shown some promise, but still, he has had struggles at times.
LaFleur and the Packers would be better off bringing in a new voice to the Packers defensive line room. Montgomery had success at the college level, so it might be best that he goes back to the college game.
Jason Rebrovich, Pass Rush Specialist
Originally hired to be the Packers’ outside linebackers coach, Jason Rebrovich had his job title changed to pass rush specialist coach before this season. There wasn’t a reason given for the title change, but it’s assumed that Rebrovich is still in charge of the outside linebackers. Prior to being hired by LaFleur, Rebrovich spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While other defensive positions have struggled, it seems that the Packers pass rushers have played solidly at times. Rashan Gary is still developing and that should scare other NFL teams. Veteran Preston Smith, while not the same player he once was, still is playing at a solid level. Rebrovich’s biggest project is 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness. A superb athlete with a lot of skills, Van Ness is still raw and is still learning to play a stand-up pass-rushing position. Rebrovich has helped with Gary’s development and there is no reason to believe he can’t do the same for Van Ness.
Rebrovich has done a good job since joining the Packers’ defensive staff. If LaFleur does hire a new defensive coordinator, it would be a good idea for that coach to keep Rebrovich and allow him to keep working with Gary and Van Ness.
Kirk Olivadotti, Inside Linebackers
If you take out the 2021 season, which saw De’Vondre Campball have a career season, there hasn’t been a bigger underachieving unit than the inside linebacker position. Since that season, Campbell has struggled with injuries and even when he is healthy, he hasn’t come close to looking like the player he was in 2021. In his first two seasons, former first-round pick Quay Walker has flashed. But he was expected to make a big jump in his second season, something he hasn’t done in 2023.
Kirk Olivadotti has been with the Packers since 2019. During that time, again excluding 2021, the Packers’ inside linebacker play has been average at best. Similar to Montgomery, it would be best if the Packers brought in a new voice to work with the inside linebackers, possibly one who played in the NFL.
Ryan Downward, Defensive Backs
After spending one season as the Packers safeties coach (2022), Ryan Downward was promoted to defensive backs coach. Now Downward oversees both the safeties as well as the cornerbacks. Both positions, excluding the now departed Rasul Douglas, have struggled under Downward’s guidance.
Very similar to Jason Vrable, the promotion of Downard seemed curious. He coached a position, safeties, that struggled. In fact, former first-round pick Darnell Savage had his worst season under Downward’s supervision. Giving him more responsibilities was not only curious but appears to be the wrong decision.
Greg Williams, Pass Game Coordinator
Greg Williams replaced highly respected assistant coach Jerry Gray as the Packers’ pass game coordinator prior to this season. Williams came over from the Arizona Cardinals where he served as the cornerbacks coach from 2019-2022.
Again, another head-scratching hire by LaFleur. Losing Gray was a big blow to the Packers’ defense. But LaFleur made things worse by bringing in Williams who worked with one of the worst defenses in the NFL in the Cardinals. Williams has a background working with cornerbacks, so it’s highly likely he is helping Downward in that position. This doesn’t say a lot, because excluding Douglas, that position has struggled. That includes Jaire Alexander who has struggled at times this season.
Summary of Current Packers Defensive Staff
To put it bluntly, Matt LaFleur has assembled one of the worst defensive coaching staffs in the NFL. A case can be made that LaFleur has, overall, one of the worst coaching staffs in the NFL. If LaFluer finally decides to put his big boy pants on and make some changes to the Packers’ defensive staff, it would be best that he cleans house. In our evaluation, only Jason Rebrovich would be worth keeping.
From what we see, LaFleur only has one decision to make, that being to fire Joe Barry. If he does do that (which seems like a big if with LaFleur), he should allow his new defensive coordinator to hire the staff he wants. LaFleur has done some good things during his tenure as the Packers head coach. But putting together a capable staff isn’t one of them. He needs to find a coordinator who runs a scheme that fits what the Packers have on their roster. Then allow that coordinator to put together his own staff. LaFleur has a lot of work to do on the Packers’ offense. He needs to have things taken off his plate and that would be one of them.
Main Photo: [Tork Mason] – USA Today Sports
