Who Will Be the Next Defensive Coordinator for the Green Bay Packers?

Photo: Al Harris’ game winning pick six against the Seahawks in overtime of the 2003 NFC Wild Card

The Green Bay Packers are yet again looking for another defensive coordinator after Jeff Hafley officially signed with the Miami Dolphins on January 19 to become their next head coach. The next defensive coordinator of the Packers will now be the fourth in Matt LaFleur’s tenure as Packers head coach.

Hafley follows another former Packer who worked in the front office, John Eric Sullivan, who is also the new general manager of the Dolphins. What’s next? Malik Willis at quarterback? Let’s just call it Lambeau South down there in Miami.


 

So, who are the candidates to replace Jeff Hafley? Let’s start with a guy already in the building, because we all know the Packers love to promote from within, DeMarcus Covington. Covington is currently the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Packers as of January 2025. Previously, he was with the New England Patriots from 2017 to 2024, working his way up the coaching ladder to become their defensive coordinator in 2024. Covington also interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys for their next defensive coordinator job.


 

Next up is Raheem Morris. Morris is a former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and is getting multiple interviews for head coaching positions as well as defensive coordinator jobs around the league. Fun fact, when Raheem Morris was named head coach after Jon Gruden was fired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009, Morris’ first win as a head coach in the NFL was against the Packers after starting the season 0 and 7. Morris is a two time Super Bowl champion, most recently with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 as a defensive coordinator and in 2003 as a defensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers. One thing about Morris is that he has a connection with Matt LaFleur via the Shanahan and McVay coaching tree, which spreads across the NFL almost entirely. If we know one thing about Matt LaFleur, it’s that he loves his guys, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Morris ends up as the new defensive coordinator in Green Bay or San Francisco.


 

Al Harris is another name that has popped up recently for the job. Harris was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2021 and is remembered very fondly by fans for his game winning pick six in overtime of the 2003 NFC Wild Card playoff, where the Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks. What a moment. Harris began coaching in 2012 and has worked his way up the ladder. From 2020 to 2024, he worked with the Dallas Cowboys as a defensive backs coach and served as assistant head coach in 2024. Harris coached Cowboys cornerbacks Trevon Diggs to a franchise tying 11 interceptions and DaRon Bland to the now NFL record of five pick sixes in a single season. Harris coached for the Bears this year as defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator under new head coach Ben Johnson, who he previously coached with in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins. Harris does not have any official defensive coordinator experience but does have strong ties to Green Bay and a proven ability to coach up defensive secondaries.


 

A name that showed up in the Packers defensive coordinator interview cycle in 2021 and turned down the job was Jim Leonhard, whom Matt LaFleur originally wanted to hire before settling on Joe Barry. Leonhard’s roots run deep in Wisconsin, where he grew up playing high school and college football and later coached at his alma mater, Wisconsin, starting in 2016. He served as interim head coach in 2022 before leaving the program. After a brief stint with the University of Illinois in 2023, he moved on to his current job with the Denver Broncos in 2024. He started as defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2025 while remaining the defensive pass game coordinator. Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez, also known as “The Don” or “The Godfather,” gave his full endorsement of Leonhard recently, saying, “I’d go get the best coach I can get, and that’s Jimmy Leonhard.”


 

Another name worth mentioning is Zach Orr, who interviewed for the position in 2024 before the Packers hired Jeff Hafley. There was a lot of upset Packers fans when he wasn’t signed over Jeff Hafley. At just 33 years old, Orr is young but experienced, most recently serving as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator since 2024. Orr was promoted under head coach John Harbaugh following the departure of current Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. Although he has experience, the Ravens’ defenses simply weren’t on the same level as they were under Macdonald.


 

Lastly, Christian Parker is another name who was involved in the 2024 interview process for the defensive coordinator job who just recently interviewed with the Packers for the DC job opening. Parker coached with Matt LaFleur in his first two years as Packers head coach. Parker is currently the defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator for a dominant Vic Fangio–led Eagles defense this season. The combination of his defenses’ performance and being a Fangio/LaFleur guy makes Parker makes me believe he is one of the top candidates for the Packers DC job.


 

There are plenty of other candidates who are also receiving interviews for defensive coordinator and head coaching jobs. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott are all experienced names the Packers could potentially interview going forward.


 

One important aspect that should be taken into consideration is outside ideas. The Packers are at a crucial point in this team’s storied history. Saying this team isn’t serious after trading for Micah Parsons is an ignorant statement. Clearly, the Packers are trying to win a championship, but they are at a crossroads. 

The next defensive coordinator, along with any additional coaching staff changes, needs to bring in fresh ideas to get this team over the hump. Matt LaFleur is a good head coach and is at his best when calling plays. There is nothing wrong with bringing in coaches who offer different philosophies or perspectives to help elevate this team. Football is the ultimate team game, and regardless of egos, they need to be put aside up at 1265 Lombardi if this team wants to bring the Lombardi trophy back to its rightful home.



Real Packer Fans Know🧀

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Green Bay Packers 2025 NFL Draft Recap

Image
                Ladies and gentlemen, here is your 2025 Green Bay Packers NFL Draft Recap. First off, you gotta hand the city of Green Bay their flowers. The city did not disappoint at all hosting the NFL Draft for the first time ever. 600,00 football guys and girls made their way up to Lambeau Field for one of the most iconic drafts of all time. The highlight of the draft easily was Packers CEO Mark Murphy announcing the team’s first-round selection, Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. The pop that he got when announced was something straight out of 90s WWF. THE DROUGHT IS OVER 📺: NFL Draft on NFL Network April 24-26 pic.twitter.com/hFJFTh3jZv — Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 25, 2025 Now let’s grade the Packers draft because that’s what everyone is doing at this point. Disclaimer! I am not a college football expert whatsoever. I am grading this draft based of the Packers needs, vibes, and maybe a little bit of bias. Matthew Golden Gol...
Read more

Packers 13, Panthers 16: Matt LaFleur Failed to Prepare His Football Team (Again)

Image
Photo Credit: Evan Siegle, packers.com Nothing went right for the Packers on Sunday in their disgusting loss to the Panthers. On top of everything that happened, Tucker Kraft is officially out for the season after suffering a torn ACL. Absolutely brutal. Tests confirmed that Packers TE Tucker Kraft did in fact tear his ACL as feared, per source. pic.twitter.com/6lj5rScYg2 — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2025 From missed field goals to penalties and poor game management, this team was not prepared and didn’t deserve to win this game. This feels like the last straw. Obviously, the Packers aren’t dumb enough to fire a head coach in the middle of the season (that would be irresponsible). Still, Matt LaFleur needs to take a long look in the mirror after this one and rethink how he’s handling this football team. Year after year, we’ve seen the same problems under Matt LaFleur’s Packers: poor special teams, horrific game management, nonsensical play-calling, and endless penalties...
Read more

And Just Like That, Micah Parsons Suffers a Possible ACL Tear and the Packers’ Season Is Turned Upside Down After a Third-Quarter Nightmare Against the Broncos

Image
  It’s hard to put into words. If the Packers had simply lost this game to the Broncos and nobody got hurt, we wouldn’t be as down in the dumps as we are right now. Instead, we got the worst of both worlds. When Micah Parsons went down with a noncontact knee injury in the third quarter, I have never seen the life get sucked out of a stadium so fast. 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Packers’ LB Micah Parsons is currently down and holding at his knee. It appeared to be a non-contact left knee injury. 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/93b44oAfyK — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 14, 2025 yep. look at the shin pop back - ACL https://t.co/YzPyxzpXsO pic.twitter.com/EwZrRgZTVQ — Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) December 14, 2025   That third quarter against the Broncos will go down as one of the worst moments in Packers history. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Not only did Parsons go down, but so did Christian Watson with a chest injury, Zach Tom with a knee injury, and Evan Williams ...
Read more