All eyes will be on the Green Bay Packers’ new, young offense as training camp officially begins next week. With a new quarterback and a host of young pass catchers, the Packer offense has a ton of potential, but it’s also prime for precipitous ups and downs.
That young offense must lean on a more experienced defense as it goes through growing pains. But we thought the same thing last year, expecting the defense would carry the offense as Aaron Rodgers built chemistry with his young receivers. We all know how that went — a projected top-five unit was instead inconsistent and often woefully underprepared for most of the season.
Even with the Packers entering a new era, Matt LaFleur chose to keep Joe Barry as his DC, once again banking on the experienced group to elevate the offense and choosing to believe Barry’s peaks would become the norm.
But even though LaFleur has stood up for Barry publicly, the veteran DC’s seat must be warm. Green Bay has invested a ton of draft capital in the defense, and Barry simply hasn’t utilized it well. Can Barry finally have a consistently good defense, or will the Packers be searching for a new coordinator this winter?
Barry’s first season in Green Bay was like much of his career: inconsistent. While they had stretches of excellent play against some of the game’s best quarterbacks, they would follow up by making bottom-tier passers look elite. It’s fair to wonder whether Barry’s defense was any better than Mike Pettine’s. But the unit put everything together in an otherwise heartbreaking Divisional Round loss and showed promise.
That led to an offseason of hype, especially in the face of an offense with issues of its own. They traded Davante Adams, and Green Bay needed to rely on a group of rookies and veteran role players. The offensive line constantly required shuffling as its two best players eased back in from significant injuries. Surely the defense could shoulder some of the burden?
It didn’t.
Barry’s greatest hits included not letting Jaire Alexander shadow a team’s WR1, not having a good handle on slot corner, an overwhelming wave of soft zone coverage, a non-existent pass rush, a classically porous run defense, and an overall lack of urgency.
Some of the team’s better players in 2021 regressed, and injuries took their toll. But on the whole, the problems start at the top.
Even so, following the team’s late bye week, the defense once again clicked to end the season. Green Bay’s defense had an impressive four-game stretch (admittedly against average teams), which included them generating 12 turnovers. Barry finally put his best players in position to succeed, no longer handicapped by questionable scheme decisions. Young players like Devonte Wyatt finally saw more playing time.
In the end, the Packers surprisingly finished 13th in overall scoring defense. Green Bay’s once dead-in-the-water season suddenly came back to life, with the team able to make a playoff push and control their own destiny.
They blew it, of course. But that had more to do with the offense.
Once again, the question is whether that four-game stretch of solid defensive play can be the norm or is it just a blip on the radar. The offense has even bigger questions this year than last, putting more pressure on the defense.
The defensive personnel is also in a debatably worse spot than it was last year. We don’t know when Rashan Gary or Eric Stokes will return from injury. Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed are gone, and while neither player is a star, their replacements have a lot to prove. The Packers lost Adrian Amos and did little to upgrade the safety position, their biggest need from last season.
Still, Barry has a ton of first-rounders on the defense, including 2023’s Lukas Van Ness. His defensive line is made of Kenny Clark and players he chose to run the scheme he wants. He has one of the league’s best cornerbacks with an above-average supporting cast. The talent he needs to succeed is on the roster.
History is not on Barry’s side when it comes to a potential turnaround. His previous stops haven’t shown he can be a guy to lead an elite defense. But LaFleur is giving him the chance to prove we can always improve. Barry needs to put everything he’s learned together and finally have a consistent defense. Otherwise, LaFleur needs to find someone who can.
