Drastic changes aren’t always necessary to achieve success. In some cases, perhaps. But in others, shuffling up the deck a bit gets the job done.
Green Bay’s pass rush underwhelmed for a lot of the 2024 season. Instead of adding in free agency or using an early pick to address it, the Packers are banking on one addition unlocking it all.
Hiring DeMarcus Covington.
This offseason, the Packers saw two notable staff changes: quarterbacks coach Tom Clements retired, and defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich was fired.
Rebrovich helped run a group that ranked 20th in pressure rate and 20th in average time to throw for opposing quarterbacks. The Packers piled up 45 sacks, the eighth-most in the NFL. However, that number was a bit misleading because 20 of those sacks came in three games. The lack of a consistent pass rush led to the end of Rebrovich’s tenure.
Covington came over from the New England Patriots. At the time, it appeared to be the first move in a domino effect to reset the edge and the pass rush. Instead, Covington was the only substantial move made by the Packers. They’ve mainly retained that part of the roster. Green Bay viewed this as a coaching issue rather than a talent deficit.
Head coach Matt LaFleur raved about Covington when speaking at the owners meeting in early April. Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a few things on the resumé stood out to LaFleur.
We’ve got DeMarcus Covington coming in. He’s a guy that I got a little exposure when we played against New England a couple years ago and practiced against them. I know he’s held in pretty high regard around the league. I really like the demeanor he’s come in with. He’s definitely a technician, he knows ball, knows a lot of ball, he’s well-versed. Having that coordinator background is big as well.
Covington was indeed New England’s defensive coordinator in 2024. However, after one year, they showed Jerod Mayo the door, and it became apparent that Mike Vrabel would overhaul the staff.
When Covington was New England’s defensive line coach from 2020 to 2023, the group ranked fifth, 11th, seventh, and 19th in pressure rate. He’ll be tasked with improving a group that saw some other contributors slump in 2024.
Rashan Gary went from nine sacks and 22 quarterback hits in 2023 to 7.5 and 15 last year. Kenny Clark went from 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2023 to one and four last season. On top of the drop-off from the two veterans, Lukas Van Ness didn’t show any profound improvement in Year 2.
It’s possible that, along with the Covington hire, Green Bay is banking on Jeff Hafley’s overall system to firm up in Year 2, particularly with the pass rush. Green Bay’s defense was mostly tremendous in 2024. A group that forced just 18 turnovers in 2023 under Joe Barry manufactured 33 in 2024.
It’s impossible to ignore that eight of the 17 interceptions came from the free-agent signing of safety Xavier McKinney, and another four of those turnovers were forced by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. A blend of the new coach and new players helped significantly raise the numbers.
This time around, the issue is the pass rush, so the Packers seem to be leaning more on the coaching side of the equation.
Green Bay drafted Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell in the fourth round and Oklahoma State linebacker Collin Oliver in the fifth. The Packers also used a sixth-rounder on Georgia defensive tackle Warren Brinson.
Could one or more of those selections help provide a jolt in 2025? Sure. Still, it isn’t the investment the Packers made last year in the draft and in free agency to address issues on the defense.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has mentioned multiple times this offseason that he believes the Packers have the pieces in place to succeed up front on the defensive line. The thought was that Gutekunst could’ve been stretching the truth to avoid showing his hand before the draft.
He sang a similar tune about the wide receiver room, and the Packers made big-time investments at wideout in the draft, proving that Gutekunst’s earlier comments were a bit of a smokescreen. But perhaps — hopefully! — his words about the defensive front were sincere.
Green Bay hopes to achieve what the Cleveland Cavaliers did this year in the NBA. The Cavaliers replaced head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson, hoping that would push them over the top. Cleveland brought back all the same contributors from its squad a year ago and relied on internal development and a new coach to turn the tide. The internal growth came from Evan Mobley making a noticeable jump, Ty Jerome doing the same, and Darius Garland finding solid ground again after a wonky couple of seasons.
Cleveland went from a 48-win team to a 64-win team.
The Packers will hope Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt make noticeable jumps while Clark and Gary find consistency again. All of that, they hope, will result from another year in Hafley’s system, but especially the addition of Covington. Covington is the key to it all.
