Packers Hire Former Chargers Defensive Coordinator Derrick Ansley
GREEN BAY, Wis. – New Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has made the final major addition to his first coaching staff with the addition Derrick Ansley as defensive passing-game coordinator.
The news was first reported by ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
Ansley’s position-group focus will be the cornerbacks, meaning he essentially is stepping into the role manned last year by Greg Williams. With that, every position group has a coach, with Ansley coordinating the pass defense and Anthony Campanile coordinating the run defense.
Ansley spent the last three years with the Los Angeles Chargers, first as defensive backs coach in 2021 and 2022 and last year as their non-play-calling defensive coordinator under coach Brandon Staley.
The Chargers finished 28th in opponent passer rating in 2023 (Green Bay was 25th), 12th in 2022 (Green Bay was 14th) and 17th in 2021 (Green Bay was 10th).
Ansley’s promotion was praised by the likes of star defensive back Derwin James. Asked about that during OTAs last year, Ansley provided a glimpse of his coaching philosophy.
“[In] relationships with the players, it’s about give and take, especially in NFL ball,” he said. “What do you guys like? What style, what technique do you like? And if I can see something that could maybe help them become better, then we introduce that to them. So, I think it’s a lot of give and take. Listen to the players, coach them hard, accountability, make sure everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction.”
He interviewed for the then-vacant defensive coordinator position for the Giants last month.
Ansley has almost a decade-and-a-half of high-level experience. He served two stints at Alabama – 2010 and 2011 as a graduate assistant and 2016 and 2017 as defensive backs coach – under esteemed coach Nick Saban, whose calling card is defensive back play. He was the Raiders’ defensive backs coach in 2018 before going back to college as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020.
In his one season with the Raiders, they went from five interceptions to 14.
He played his college ball at Troy, where nine of his 19 career interceptions came during his junior year. His first job in coaching was as defensive backs coach at Division IIII Huntingdon from 2005 through 2009.
“Playing at Troy for coach (Larry) Blakeney was a life-changing experience,” Ansley said at the 2019 Senior Bowl. “From that, going to Huntingdon where I got my start with coach (Mike) Turk. I didn't know if I wanted to coach, and he gave me a start, kind of got me off and running. I did that for four or five years and got a chance to get hired by Coach Saban, which was a blessing. Worked my tail off and got some opportunities, and I've just tried to make the most of them.”
After Alabama won the national championship in 2017, Ansley was offered the defensive coordinator job at Colorado State. He would have taken it but instead got an opportunity with the Raiders.
“It's happened fast,” Ansley told The Tallahassee Times. “When you do a good job and do things the right way, people take notice. I definitely want to be a defensive coordinator and head coach. That opportunity presented itself at Colorado State. It was an opportunity I looked at very closely, but when you get a chance to coach in the National Football League it's very hard to turn down. I've always wanted to coach at the highest level.”
