The Green Bay Packers made a lot of difficult decisions this offseason. One of these was cutting the third all-time leading rusher in franchise history, running back Aaron Jones. The fan-favorite was released after he refused to take a massive pay cut following the signing of Josh Jacobs in free agency. He has since signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Another difficult, though expected, decision was to also cut five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari. The oft-injured fan-favorite was going to cost nearly $40 million on the 2024 NFL salary cap but had only played 13 games in the last three seasons.
Rasheed Walker playing well in 2023 after Bakhtiari went down with another knee injury helped make the decision easier.
The Green Bay Packers Fired Joe Barry and Hired Jeff Hafley as Defensive Coordinator
Not all of Green Bay’s decisions, though, were that difficult to make, at least from an outsider’s perspective. One of these was the long-awaited firing of defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Packers’ fans never like the hire to begin with, nor did Barry give them much of a reason to come around to him during his three seasons in Green Bay.
Barry’s defenses were an interesting paradox during his tenure. For example, the 2023 Packers defense completely dismantled the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs but could not figure out how to stop a New York Giants offense led by fourth-string quarterback Tommy DeVito.
Some consistent sources of frustration with Barry’s scheme included dropping pass rushers like Preston Smith back into coverage. His defenses also lacked any kind of real aggressiveness, and players had to think really hard about what he wanted them to do on any given play.
This made the defense too slow, especially in the run game.
To replace Barry, Matt LaFleur hired former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley to be their defensive coordinator. Hafley is switching the defense’s base from a 3-4 to a 4-3, which means that players like Smith and Rashan Gary will line up with their hands in the dirt up at the line.
Hafley is also encouraging players to react with their instincts and trust what they see in front of them. What is more, he wants his front seven to create havoc in the backfield.
Green Bay Packers Defensive End Rashan Gary Is Excited About the New System
Over the course of the offseason, numerous Packers defensive players have spoken out about how much they love the new system under Hafley. In a recent interview with Chris Long, defensive end Rashan Gary revealed how much better his game will be in 2024 now that he is able to play in a system that suits him:
Chris Long asked Rashan Gary what the defensive scheme change does for him..
This version of Gary is going to be fun to watch 🧀 pic.twitter.com/PuWzEdODoG
— Lord Lambeau 🧀 (@LordLambeau) August 22, 2024
“Man, it opens my game completely up. You know, be able to play completely free. Not having to worry about playing blocks the right way coming out of the 3-4.
“So, I’m really telling you, just put your hand in the dirt, see what you see, and play fast. So like, I love lining up in this wide-nine and sometimes, man, if I get off the ball fast enough, I’m able to get in the backfield fast enough, make TFL’s.
“Our number one thing is cause negative yardage plays and this defense allows us to do that.”
Gary and the defensive line have been impressive during training camp, so it will be exciting to see how that translates to the field during the regular season.
