The Green Bay Packers defense had the hype of a top-five unit entering the 2022 season with six former first-round picks starting and multiple big-money extensions being doled out to cornerbacks Jaire Alexander (four years, $84 million) and Rasul Douglas (three years, $21 million) as well as linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (five years, $50 million). However, defensive coordinator Joe Barry has been unable to make the unit greater than the sum of its parts with the team ranking 16th in scoring defense (21.6 PPG allowed), 29th in rushing defense (141.3 rushing yards per game allowed) and 20th in missed tackle percentage (11.7%).
The gap between Green Bay's defensive performance and its preseason expectations left Barry's boss, head coach Matt LaFleur, answering questions at his media availability on Monday about if he had plans to make an in-season change to his staff's defensive play-caller position.
"Oh, no, absolutely not," LaFleur said when asked if he had plans to make a coaching change, going to bat for his defensive coordinator and former Los Angeles Rams co-worker.
Barry has had multiple stops around the league as a defensive coordinator, but none with rousing success. He was the Detroit Lions' defensive play-caller during their 0-16 season in 2008 when they allowed a league-worst 32.3 points per game. His Washington defenses averaged 23.6 points per game in his two seasons as their coordinator in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Barry crossed over with LaFleur in their first season on Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams staff in 2017, and he remained with the team as assistant head coach and linebackers coach through the 2020 season before coming to the Packers to reunite with LaFleur.
Rumblings have started to surface of players questioning the play-calling and game plans in Green Bay. Alexander, the NFL's highest-paid cornerback on an annual basis ($21 million per year) voiced his displeasure with not being given the opportunity to shadow Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the Packers' 23-7 season-opening loss. In the Packers' 27-17 loss at the Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football" last week, Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs caught six of his eight targets for 108 receiving yards and a touchdown while Alexander aligned across from Bills No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis on 61% of Davis' routes, according to Next Gen Stats. Alexander had an interception and did not allow Davis to catch a pass on the four targets where Alexander was the closest defender.
LaFleur didn't refute that some of his defensive players may not appreciate their usage this season.
"Well, first of all, it's impossible to please everybody," LaFleur said. "Everybody has their own opinions, their own ideas. It's like anything else in life. You have to get the staff on the same page, first and foremost, in making sure that everybody is confident in the plan and then you teach it to the players."
However, the Packers head coach did acknowledge that being ranked 20th in missed tackle percentage (11.7%) and tied for 14th in explosive plays allowed (53) isn't going to get the job done.
"I think from a consistency standpoint, way too many explosive gains, some poor tackling," LaFleur said. "I think we need to be more physical. I think you look at the teams that are toughest to deal with in this league, especially from a defensive standpoint and physicality, it jumps out to you. There were moments where we're not always getting that."
Entering the season, the Packers defense with all of its veterans and highly-talented players was supposed to keep the team alfoat as quarterback Aaron Rodgers figured out how to work with his new cast of playmakers on offense. That hasn't been the case, and is a huge factor in the Packers' four-game losing streak and 3-5 record this season.
