Veteran assistant Jerry Gray to call plays for Packers defense vs. Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers will call on veteran assistant coach Jerry Gray to call plays for the defense without defensive coordinator Joe Barry available for Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Gray would be the playcaller on Tuesday.

“Yeah, so, Jerry will call it,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, it will still be a collective effort from all the guys. We have a lot of confidence in our defensive staff. ‘KO’ (linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti) will communicate the call to ‘Dre’ (linebacker De’Vondre Campbell) on the field. That’s how we’ll roll.”

Barry, the defense’s first-year coordinator, tested positive for COVID-19 and is expected to miss Thursday night’s showdown with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.

Gray is by far the most experienced playcaller on the Packers defensive staff. A former Pro Bowl defensive back, he was previously the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2001-05) and Tennessee Titans (2011-13). He’s been with the Packers coaching the secondary since 2020. LaFleur promoted him to passing game coordinator to start 2021.

Gray, a native of Lubbock, Texas, has coached at the NFL level since 1997.

The Packers rank seventh in the NFL in both yards allowed and points allowed through the first seven weeks. The defense is also tied for seventh in takeaways, 10th in yards allowed per play and 12th in percentage of drives ending in scores.

The matchup against the Cardinals will be Green Bay’s toughest of the season. Murray, now in Year 3, is a legitimate MVP candidate entering Week 8. He’s leading the fourth-ranked offense by points scored, and the Cardinals are loaded at wide receiver. Arizona has scored 30 or more points in six of seven games this season.

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