Following a disappointing end to the season, the Green Bay Packers had to make a big decision of whether or not to make changes to the staff. While the play improved over the past month, Green Bay has decided to fire defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
This move was met with celebration from Packers fans, especially since Joe Barry never deserved the job in the first place. He wasn’t even the first choice. Now, the search begins! Who will be named the new Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator?
Possible Replacements For Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator
So, with that being said, who should be the new Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator in order to replace Joe Barry? Here are a few possible candidates, including the individual who was offered the job before Barry last time!
Jim Leonhard
Yes, the Wisconsin boy comes home! Not only would this be a feel-good story, it would be a move the Packers were already interested in making. That’s right, Jim Leonhard was offered the Packers defensive coordinator job, but he declined it, forcing the Packers to move onto their backup plan very quickly in order to quiet the headlines of being denied. Of course, Barry was the backup plan (makes more sense now, huh?).
Leonhard opted to return to Wisconsin. You could see why, as everything seemed destined for him to eventually become the head coach, which would be his dream job. With that falling through, and Leonhard expressing interest in keeping his young family in Wisconsin in the past, it makes sense to bring in a young, energetic defensive coordinator to ignite a spark in this group. He’s aggressive and incredibly intelligent. There’s no doubt this would be a fan-favorite move.
Wink Martindale
Another coach with experience in a Rex Ryan system, like Leonhard above, is the defensive mad scientist Wink Martindale. There’s a chance Wink doesn’t mesh well with Matt LaFleur, but with MLF not having input in the defense anyways, it could become a co-head coach type of situation.
Wink Martindale will bring pressure from all over and give opposing quarterbacks nightmares leading up to the game. The issue is that he needs strong man-coverage cornerbacks to run his scheme. He has Jaire Alexander, but Wink would need to have some input in the upcoming draft for this partnership to work out.
Glenn Schumann
The Packers have liked drafting defensive players from Georgia, though they haven’t really lived up to expectations under Barry. A move Green Bay could explore is naming Glenn Schumann as the new defensive coordinator.
Schumann is currently the defensive coordinator at Georgia. This was his first year solely in this role, but he was co-DC and inside linebackers coach for several seasons before this. Obviously, he has had plenty of success there. He would be one of the youngest defensive coordinators in the NFL, if he makes that leap, at only 33 years old. He is a fascinating guy who appears to be one of the better young minds in the game right now.
Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera was recently fired as Washington’s head coach. He has looked a bit lost over the past couple of years. However, if he still wishes to coach in the NFL, he will likely take a coordinator position. There is no doubt that Rivera knows football, and reverting back solely concentrating on the defense could be exactly what he needs. Adding a true leader that has credibility to this coaching staff would also be huge.
Al Harris
This pairing to be the new Packers defensive coordinator likely seemed a bit more exciting prior to the Packers stomping the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, but bringing Al Harris back to Lambeau would be something most fans would embrace. Since his playing career, Harris worked under Andy Reid and Bob Sutton in Kansas City before working with Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn in Dallas.
He has had plenty of success with the Cowboys’ secondary, with playmakers truly maximizing their value and getting turnovers all over. With the Packers’ secondary being a weakness of the team, a former defensive back, like Harris or Leonhard, makes sense.
