Stability is the name of the game when building a championship-level coaching staff. There are exceptions, but far more often than not, having a sound system with familiar faces bodes well for your chances. The Green Bay Packers have seen substantial turnover this offseason, with changes at defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Now the team will look to replicate what the Philadelphia Eagles did in 2024.
New coaches, especially new coordinators, typically mean new systems. It can take time for the players to acclimate. Some coaches will adapt and cater more to the strengths and preferences of the players already in the building. For others, it’s their way or the highway, and they’ll rearrange the personnel to fit the system.
New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon seems like a blend of both. He has his own ideas of what will work, but even at his introductory press conference, he mentioned the necessity of getting creative with the players at your disposal.
“I just believe you’ve got to continually every year try to adapt and solve problems with your guys in mind,” Gannon said. “Before scheme, I truly believe it’s not what you play, it’s how you play.”
When new special teams coordinator Cam Achord first spoke to the media after taking the job, he said he was happy with the roster pieces already in place.
“There’s an opportunity here to improve and get better and there’s already pieces here,” Achord said. “You’re not going into a situation where you’re like, ‘Oh man, we’re definitely starting from scratch with everything.’ There was obviously a lot of toughness already about the team.”
How does this all tie into the 2024 Eagles?
Philadelphia dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl that year. Coming off three consecutive seasons with playoff berths, Philadelphia won it all for the first time since 2017. Yet they were dealing with plenty of change before that season even started.
The Eagles had fired Brian Johnson, their offensive coordinator from the year prior. In came Kellen Moore, an offensive guru who spent just one year as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator before packing his bags for Philly.
Philadelphia also sent defensive coordinator Sean Desai out the door. The Eagles had started the 2023 season 10-1, then collapsed at the end. The Eagles lost six of seven, including a postseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In response, GM Howie Roseman opted to keep head coach Nick Sirianni in place and ditch their two most prominent coordinators. They replaced Desai with Vic Fangio, another vaunted schematic mind.
The changes yielded incredible results.
Philadelphia finished fourth in points per game under Moore in 2024 with an average of 29 per game. The defense under Fangio was even better, finishing first in the NFL, allowing just 18.1 points per game. It culminated in a decisive Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.
The Eagles pushed the right buttons at the time and made the right hires at both offensive and defensive coordinator.
Green Bay’s situation has plenty of similarities.
The Packers have also made the postseason three years in a row since Jordan Love took over as the starter. Like the Eagles entering 2024, none of those three appearances led to a Super Bowl win. And like Philadelphia entering 2024, they are also replacing two coordinators.
Sure, Jeff Hafley and Rich Bisaccia left of their own accord, Hafley for the head coaching gig in Miami and Bisaccia to be the special teams coordinator at Clemson. Neither was fired like Johnson and Desai, but both scenarios created big vacancies that the Packers must fill.
Gannon isn’t coming in for a rebuild, and neither is Achord. The success Hafley had with the defense led to him taking a head coaching job, but the pieces he worked with on those defenses are largely still in place for Gannon.
On special teams, the biggest personnel change for Achord will come at kicker, with rookie Trey Smack taking over for the veteran Brandon McManus.
The parallels to the 2024 Eagles and their situation are obvious. Whether or not the Packers are able to generate momentum from these changes — enough to slingshot them all the way to the top — remains to be seen. But it can be done. The template is there.
