Dissecting Packers defense entering 2021 offseason

The Green Bay Packers are entering a pivotal offseason in terms of shaping the present and future of the team’s defense. The group finished ninth in yards and 13th in points allowed last season, but coach Matt LaFleur replaced Mike Pettine with Joe Barry at defensive coordinator, and general manager Brian Gutekunst will likely need to do some patchwork to the personnel during a challenging offseason.

Here’s a quick dissection of the Packers defense entering the offseason:

– This is defense with really good to great players at all the key positions but also an alarming number of holes. Star power got the Packers into the top half of the NFL in defense. Filling in the rest – and limiting the number of weak links in the chain – is probably the key to unlocking a truly elite defense. Too often in 2020, good quarterbacks or good playcallers found ways to avoid the elite players and attack the weaknesses.

– Cornerback is, once again, the team’s top need. Kevin King is about to go the way of Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, and Josh Jackson isn’t too far behind him. The Packers hit a grand slam with Jaire Alexander but have otherwise struck out at the position in recent drafts. King will likely need to be replaced opposite Alexander on the boundary, and Chandon Sullivan needs competition in the slot. Cornerbacks are expensive to buy in free agency, so the Packers might have to invest a lot more draft capital into the position.

– While cornerback is the top offseason need, other positions on the defensive side aren’t far behind. The defensive line has little to no depth, especially if Dean Lowry becomes a cap casualty. Linebacker has a couple of encouraging young players (Kamal Martin, Krys Barnes), but Barry, a long-time linebackers coach, might want an upgrade in talent at a position he values. And if Preston Smith is gone, edge rusher – a premium position – is worth investing in again. This side of the ball needs more pieces of the puzzle, partly because a few of the costly pieces are likely gone and plenty others need upgrading.

– It’s time to unleash Rashan Gary. He’ll be entering Year 3 after ending his sophomore season with a really strong finish. He was dominant at times from Week 10 on. The 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft now looks more than ready to be a full-time starter, and with more opportunities, he could be a legitimate difference-maker. And while he might not have the coverage versatility of Preston Smith, Gary is probably better at every other part of playing the edge rusher position. More of his toughness, physicality and motor could provide a big upgrade for the Packers in 2021.

– Fans should be really intrigued by what Barry could do with Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage in the secondary. The Rams did a lot of creative and innovative stuff with an All-Pro No. 1 cornerback and two quality safeties. I would expect the Packers to be better at disguising and mixing up coverages under Barry, potentially giving them a better shot against the league’s best quarterbacks, both before and after the snap. The two safeties are going to be vital to what Barry and the Packers want to do against the run and pass on defense.

– Kingsley Keke could be an important part of what the Packers do in 2021. He’s obviously not Aaron Donald, but he does have an attractive size/power/quickness combination as an interior rusher. I would imagine Barry will provide more gap attacking opportunities for No. 96.

– The inside linebacker position will probably lose Christian Kirksey, but hiring Barry could be good news for all the young players in that room. He has a long track record of developing the position. I’m especially interested to see him work with Kamal Martin, who is athletic with an attacking mindset but needs refinement as an overall player. He could be a player capable of making a big jump in Year 2 in the new system. Maybe Barry can turn him into the next Cory Littleton.

– The Rams, like the Packers, have prioritized the hybrid safety/linebacker position. Pettine used a bunch of different players in that position over the last two years. It might take a high draft pick, but identifying a fast player who can be that hybrid link between stopping the run and pass could be important to making this defense work.

– The Rams, like the Packers, liked to play light boxes frequently. The difference in Los Angeles was that the Rams found ways to consistently stop the run with these smaller personnel packages. This is a trick Pettine’s defense failed to pull off.

– The Packers did a terrific job preventing big plays and actually improved against the run in 2020, but increasing the pressure rate on quarterbacks and overall number of turnovers have to be top priorities in 2021.

– One final thing: LaFleur specifically said he wants a defense that swarms to the football and plays with great energy. This is coach speak, of course, but it’s also clear how much LaFleur values these attributes in a defense. A defense is often a reflection of its leader. In Barry, LaFleur thinks he’s found a man capable of getting his defense to be more swarming, more energetic, more aggressive. Again, all coaching platitudes. But the Packers could use a lot more of all three.

List

Evaluating Green Bay Packers' roster entering 2021 offseason