Three Packers Who Will Benefit From Hiring of Jeff Hafley
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The winds of change are blowing in Green Bay.
Joe Barry is out. Jeff Hafley is in.
Change in any position is difficult across the NFL. Coaches, in general, try to avoid it.
Matt LaFleur spoke about this last year when he said he anticipated keeping Barry as the defensive coordinator for the 2023 season.
"I think continuity is a big part of having success in this league. And when you feel good about the people, you've got to work to improve, and we've got to challenge each other," LaFleur said.
"I think there's going to be a lot of projects that we're going to do in this offseason that maybe we haven't done as good a job of in the past couple of seasons, in studying other teams and the trends throughout the course of the league."
After another subpar season, LaFleur decided that continuity teetered more toward the definition of insanity.
Barry's defense did not get better, and the Packers went against the grain in hiring a former college head coach.
LaFleur's choice of defensive coordinator puts himself in the spotlight. It's a bold move.
Hafley will undoubtedly help some of the players that are already in-house.
Here is a look at who should be looking forward to Hafley putting his stamp on the defense.
LB Isaiah McDuffie
With eight starts in place of injured De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker in 2023, Isaiah McDuffie had some nice moments in Barry's defense. By the end of the season, he was rotating with Campbell.
McDuffie has one advantage in this defense that nobody else has: McDuffie has played in it before, having crossed paths with Hafley at Boston College.
McDuffie loves the aggressive nature that Hafley could bring to the team.
“He came in and he definitely changed the culture of our program. And we had a winning season that year," McDuffie told Packer Central of their 2020 season together.
"Defensively, a lot of guys got opportunities, me being one of them, to take the next step in my play. Definitely, he brings that energy, and he’s super-smart, super-detailed. I think he’s going to do a great job. I’m just excited to reconnect.”
McDuffie may have been in line to be one of the team's primary starters, anyway, with Campbell's long-term future up in the air.
Being ahead of any potential learning curve is another advantage that McDuffie has in his back pocket.
CB Jaire Alexander
Jaire Alexander is as competitive as can be. Part of his disappointment with the previous defensive staff was that he was not asked to be a shadow corner.
Alexander wants the challenge of covering the opposing team's best receiver.
He spoke about how he would fight through an injury to play against former teammate Davante Adams when the Packers traveled to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in October.
“I wouldn't say it's like the Super Bowl or the playoffs, but it's kind of like that. It is what it is. I can't miss this matchup with the best,” Alexander said. “I circled it way back a few months ago.”
Alexander did not shadow Adams that night. He rarely was asked to strictly cover the opposing team's best receiver.
One of Alexander's best games as a Packer was when he followed Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson in a 41-17 walloping on New Year's Day 2023.
Jefferson was frustrated throughout the game, and Alexander showed off some of his trademark trash talk, including mocking Jefferson's signature celebration after breaking up a pass intended for him.
It's unclear if Alexander will get more of those opportunities under Hafley, but at a minimum he should see more opportunities in man coverage to impose his will on opposing pass games.
CB Carrington Valentine
Hafley's background as a defensive backs coach should be a boon for a secondary that struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2023.
Carrington Valentine had some bright spots as a rookie but also found himself riding the rollercoaster that typically accompanies being a rookie in the NFL.
Valentine's skill-set should align with some of the past philosophies that Hafley has employed.
"I love press man," Hafley said in 2019 when he was the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State. "I think you have to be able to play both."
Valentine certainly has the demeanor and confidence to play as a man-coverage cornerback.
“I’m a competitor,” Valentine said before the Packers were set to face off against Keenan Allen and the Los Angeles Chargers. “I’m not going to back down to nobody. I don’t really care who you are. I’m just going to fight to the bitter end. That’s who I am.”
If he's given more opportunities to play man coverage, Valentine would be ready to accept that challenge. That should help him in his second season.
