Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry was hired in 2021 to overhaul a defense that had underperformed in recent years. With the Packers’ Super Bowl window now closed and the defense a question mark heading into 2023, Barry could be on the hot seat.
Barry replaced Mike Pettine, who was fired after the 2020 season. Matt LaFleur first went after Jim Leonhard to take over as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, but he turned down the offer. Two years later, the Packers’ coach could need to prepare to find his third defensive play-caller.
- Green Bay Packers defense: 21.8 PPG allowed (17th in NFL), 336.5 total ypg allowed (17th in NFL), 37.6% third-down conversion rate allowed (8th), 5.0 ypc allowed (28th)
Related: 2023 NFL defense rankings
Green Bay’s defense underperformed last season. Despite having some of the highest-paid NFL players and multiple first-round picks at every level of the field, Green Bay ranked 20th in Football Outsiders Defensive DVOA. It’s raised further questions about Barry’s future with the team.
In a mailbag for The Athletic, Packers’ reporter Matt Schneidman shared his belief that Barry won’t be fired midseason. However, he does believe that this will be Barry’s last season in Green Bay if the defense doesn’t improve.
“The fact is, Barry isn’t getting enough out of the talent he has at his disposal. I’d be surprised if Matt LaFleur made a midseason coaching change, even if the defense is horrible the first half of the season, but this should be Barry’s last season to prove he can right the ship.”
Matt Schneidman on Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry
The Packers now have eight former first-round picks on defense and a significant portion of their cap space is invested on that side of the ball. At a minimum, expectations in Green Bay are for this unit to be a top-10 defense in 2023.
With Aaron Rodgers gone, the Packers will no longer have an MVP-caliber quarterback to take pressure off the defense and reduce the spotlight on its mistakes or rough performances. If Barry’s group underperforms for the third consecutive year, he’ll likely be one of the first coordinators fired after the 2023 season.
Related: NFL predictions 2023