Breaking: The head coach of the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator was fired.
The defense failed to show any improvement, and the Green Bay Packers took the always-popular option to remove defensive coordinator Joe Barry. The Packers defense has the talent to be among the best in the NFL, as seen by the eight past first-round picks on its current roster. Sadly, Barry was unable to utilize the players to the fullest extent possible or just refused to do so.
Barry, for his part, has interviews set to interview for coaching roles with the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. He would not be given a chance to be considered for any of the few available roles as defensive coordinator.
In the interim, Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Packers, must select his third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. He retained Mike McCarthy holdover Mike Pettine on staff when he was first hired in 2019. After Pettine’s contract was not extended, he attempted to hire Jim Leonhard, the defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers at the time, but Leonhard chose to remain in Madison, so Pettine hired Barry instead.
It goes without saying that LaFleur, who has already faced harsh criticism for his hiring methods, needs to make a good hire with this one. The most recent report out of Green Bay won’t do anything to allay concerns that he is overly loyal to those he views as pals in NFL coaching circles.
Brandon Staley is being interviewed by the Green Bay Packers to be their defensive coordinator.
Green Bay is interviewing LaFleur’s pal and the one who taught Barry how to run a Fangio-style defense, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, who posted the news on X (previously Twitter), despite earlier indications that Staley would not be a top candidate for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position:
In 2020, Staley was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams before taking over as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. That was the one and only year he had ever been a coordinator in his career. He had been the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears before that.
As head coach of the Chargers, Staley went 24–24 in the regular season and his club lost the one postseason game they played in while he was in charge.
Will Brandon Staley Be Hired by the Green Bay Packers?
As previously mentioned, Staley was not anticipated to be the front-runner for the defensive coordinator job with the Packers. This does not imply that he would not be given any consideration at all, or even an opportunity for an interview. He is one of the more well-known players on the market and his brief tenure as defensive coordinator with the Rams made an impression on numerous front offices.
But the real question is if LaFleur wishes to attempt something different or continue with a defensive a la Fangio. Staley employs a strategy that is strikingly similar to the one Barry employed in Green Bay, which angered a lot of supporters and, to some extent, players.
After just two days without a job, Staley is the first person said to be interviewing to replace Barry. There are likely to be several interviews ahead, and it’s possible that Staley will find another position before the Packers finish their hiring process.
