Getty Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry of the Green Bay Packers looks on during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on August 28, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York.
The Green Bay Packers defense has been a pleasant surprise, especially over the last few weeks, but that doesn’t guarantee major changes aren’t around the corner.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic authored a mailbag on Thursday, December 7, during which he addressed the possibility that Green Bay replaces defensive coordinator Joe Barry following the season — specifically with current New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
“I have asked this question out loud in recent days,” Schneidman wrote. “The Packers have the No. 9 scoring defense in the NFL. Barry has done little to lose his job this offseason. However, I’d imagine [head coach Matt] LaFleur would be enticed if his best friend and one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers before the New York Jets hired him became available.
“He has to become available for this to be a possibility, of course, and I’m not sure Saleh will lose his job because Aaron Rodgers has been hurt, despite how disappointing the Jets’ season has been.”
Packers Defense Has Risen to Challenge Against Elite QB Talent in 2023
GettyDefensive coordinator Joe Barry of the Green Bay Packers.
Barry appeared to be on the hot seat for much of last season as the Packers defense struggled, particularly against the run. Those struggles have continued this year, with Green Bay giving up 200-plus yards on the ground three times. The team is also in the bottom half of the NFL at 340 yards surrendered per game, according to The Football Database.
However, Rob Demovsky of ESPN on December 6 authored a deep dive into the defensive side of the ball and found reasons for optimism within the Packers’ often-maligned unit.
There were signs from the beginning that the Packers’ defense could keep them in games, even if it couldn’t win them outright. Coach Matt LaFleur probably lost track of how often in the first half of the season he said the defense did enough to win.
A month ago, all that meant nothing because the Packers couldn’t marry it with an effective offense. But now that LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love have found a rhythm, people have begun to notice a defense that in consecutive weeks has turned away Justin Herbert, Jared Goff and [Patrick] Mahomes.
There is something of a caveat when it comes to the Packers’ pass rush, though, as one scout told Demovsky.
“They’re starting to look like some of the good defenses they’ve had in the past,” the scout said. “If they can get ahead and play with the lead, they can get after the quarterback. But they’ve got to be playing from ahead.”
Robert Saleh Has Struggled Since Joining Jets, But Continues Fielding Quality Defenses
GettyNew York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Despite the way Green Bay’s defense has played over the course of its three-game win streak, any significant upgrade is worth a shot if it’s there for the taking.
Saleh served as the 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20 and led the unit to a Super Bowl appearance following the 2019 season. He also helped build out the culture and philosophy for what has been one of the NFL’s top defensive units in the three years since he left for New York.
The Jets have struggled under Saleh’s leadership, though not on the defensive side of the ball, as they have earned the No. 9 ranking in overall yards surrendered this season (312.7). The problem has been the quarterback position.
After a 7-10 season in 2022, New York traded with the Packers to land Rodgers. The first year of that experiment ended on the Jets’ first offensive drive in Week 1, when Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon.
The team reverted to disappointing No. 2 pick Zach Wilson, who New York drafted on Saleh’s watch, and has run through a few other starters on its way to a 4-8 mark this season.
All told, Saleh is 15-31 as a head coach and has yet to sniff a winning record, let alone a playoff berth. Rodgers is under contract in New York for one more season, so the franchise may give Saleh another shot to turn things around in 2024.
But if he eventually becomes available, either after this season or the next, Saleh is a legitimate candidate to land in Green Bay regardless of the finish Barry puts together in 2023.