Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator candidates to replace Joe Barry in 2024
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry has been given three seasons to turn one of the most talented defenses in the NFL into one of the league’s best defenses. With his group getting progressively worse each year, it’s time to start evaluating Packers defensive coordinator candidates for 2024.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has invested significant resources into this defense. Jaire Alexander, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary and De’Vondre Campbell are some of the highest-paid players at their position. Meanwhile, Green Bay has spent first-round picks on Lukas Van Ness, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Eric Stokes in the last three years. These are the results.
Green Bay Packers defense stats 2023: 22.1 PPG allowed (17th in NFL), 352.9 total yards per game allowed (23rd), 5.5 yards per play allowed (24th), 42.36% third-down conversion rate allowed (26th)
Jim Leonhard is the fan favorite among Packers defensive coordinator candidates. He was the architect of one of the nation’s best defenses (2017-’22) with the Wisconsin Badgers and enjoyed a brief run as interim head coach. After spending the 2023 season as an analyst for Illinois, Leonhard is an outstanding pick to make the jump to the NFL in 2024.
Leonhard orchestrated one of the best defenses in the nation. It’s more than just a small sample size. From 2017-’22, outside of an outlier 2018 season, Wisconsin had a top-10 defense in the nation under Leonhard.
This is who Green Bay should hire. Matt LaFleur considered him before hiring Barry, but Leonhard declined the opportunity to remain at Wisconsin. With top coaching jobs at the college level gone, the Packers offer him the best path forward in his career. If the Wisconsin legend can turn the Packers’ defense around, he’ll be an all-time legend in the eyes of Wisconsin sports fans.
When the Baltimore Ravens needed a new defensive coordinator, they looked to the college ranks and hired the defensive play-caller for one of the top defenses in college football. Mike Macdonald is now running one of the best schemes in the NFL today. His replacement at Michigan, Jesse Minter, should be one of the top Packers defensive coordinator candidates.
While there can be risks in hiring a coach from the college level, Minter has NFL experience. The Arkansas native joined the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff in 2017 as a defensive assistant, eventually working his way up to defensive backs coach (2019-’20). After calling defensive plays at Vanderbilt for a year, Minter took the Wolverines’ job when Macdonald joined Baltimore.
Minter has also overseen the development of two of Michigan’s best defensive players, cornerbacks Mike Sainristill and Will Johnson. A defensive coordinator with a background of working with defensive backs is exactly what a team with Alexander, Stokes, Carrington Valentine and Corey Ballentine needs.
Packers fans know Mike Zimmer all too well. While he didn’t always beat Aaron Rodgers, Zimmer’s defense with both the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals gave Green Bay’s offense fits. It would only be fitting with the NFC North more competitive than ever in 2024 for the Packers to hire Zimmer as their defensive fixer.
