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The Green Bay Packers have had to make some slight tweaks to their coaching staff this offseason, but plenty of the team’s former assistants are landing new jobs of their own around the NFL.
After head coach Matt LaFleur stated that defensive coordinator Joe Barry would stay and that the team didn’t anticipate any coaching changes, the Packers lost defensive backs coach Jerry Gray to the Atlanta Falcons. The team has since replaced Gray with former Arizona Cardinals coach Greg Williams, not to be confused with controversial coach Gregg Williams.
Meanwhile, several former Packers coaches have joined the Carolina Panthers with new head coach Frank Reich. After Ejiro Evero was named defensive coordinator, the team announced that former Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers had joined the staff as a senior defensive consultant.
“He’s a top-notch guy,” Capers previously said of Evero according to ESPN. “Very smart, very well organized, a humble guy. He has a great way of communicating. He did a really good job for me. I was impressed.”
The Panthers also announced that former veteran backup quarterback Josh McCown would be joining the staff as the team’s quarterback coach.
A Legendary Coaching Career from Dom Capers
He may have worn out his welcome by the end of his time in Green Bay, but Capers is still recognized as one of the most well-respected defensive coaches in modern NFL history.
Capers has been coaching in the NFL since 1986 after more than a decade in college football. His coaching career took off as the defensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992 to 1994, popularizing the zone blitz that helped modernize NFL defenses and helped term the coin “Blitzburgh”.
After a successful stint with the Steelers, Capers became the first head coach in Panthers franchise history to help run the expansion team starting in 1995. After a 7-9 start in their inaugural season, Capers was named the AP Coach of the Year in 1996 after leading the expansion team to a 12-4 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.
Although Capers only has a 48-80 record as a head coach of the Panthers and Houston Texans, he’s also been a well-respected defensive coach over his career. He became a Super Bowl champion after transitioning the Packers defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme, helping them beat his former Steelers team in Super Bowl XLV.
With nearly 40 years of NFL coaching experience, Capers is nearing retirement age at 72 years old. Still, his experience and counsel will be vital to the development of Evero as a defensive coordinator in Carolina next season and beyond.
Could Matt LaFleur Be On the Hot Seat in 2023?
Despite all of the regular season success under LaFleur, the clock could be ticking for him to have a more meaningful impact in Green Bay.
Since taking over for the Packers, LaFleur has gone 47-19 with three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game. That streak was snapped this season after missing the playoffs with only a 8-9 record and a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions that kept the Packers out of the postseason.
Now, the Packers are waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers about his future, and that could play a huge part in LaFleur’s future as well. If Rodgers returns and the Packers take another step backwards, LaFleur could be put firmly on the hot seat for struggling to keep his team competitive.
However, if Rodgers plays elsewhere or retires in 2023, LaFleur could be given a bit of a longer leash as the team tries to see what they have in Jordan Love. Regardless of what happens at quarterback, 2023 will be a huge season for LaFleur to prove himself as one of the better head coaches in the league.
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