Jeff Hafley has been named head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and the Green Bay Packers are back on the market for a defensive coordinator. Hafley led the Packers to two of the best defenses under Matt LaFleur. Beyond that, he was a stellar communicator and leader of men, praised by all his former players. It’s a crucial hole for LaFleur to fill this offseason and could define the rest of his tenure in Green Bay.

On the positive side, the talent pool of candidates is deep this offseason, and I’d expect Green Bay to be near the top of every candidate’s list for various reasons. 

However, there were also 10 head coach openings, and those 10 coaches will have to hire defensive coordinators. If those teams hire other teams’ defensive coordinators – as the Dolphins did with Hafley and the Tennessee Titans did with Robert Saleh – the San Francisco 49ers’ DC, that will also open up more defensive coordinator positions. 

The Packers will have competition, but Green Bay will be an appealing landing spot. Any defensive coordinator would get full control of the defense. The offense is LaFleur’s, but the defense is yours. You get to coach players like Micah Parsons, Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, and Edgerrin Cooper, and there are other young ascending players like Javon Bullard and Lukas Van Ness. The offense is good, the team is competitive, and the coach and GM are now under contract for years. 

There aren’t many cons to the job, but the cornerback room needs a lot of work, and you likely won’t get to fill out your staff with all of your guys.

With those parameters, let’s get into some of my favorite candidates and where there could be competition for them.

The competition is already heating up. Brian Flores was nearly everyone’s top target. He’s one of the best defensive playcallers in the league and was a free agent after the season. However, we found out Wednesday afternoon that he re-signed with Minnesota to remain their DC, barring a head-coaching offer. 

Christian Parker, the Philadelphia Eagles’ DBs coach and former Green Bay Packers quality-control assistant, was hired by the Dallas Cowboys. He was another favorite of Packers fans. Flores signing with Minnesota and Parker getting hired by Dallas will make the competition for both former head coaches, like Raheem Morris, and rising young coaches, like Jim Leonhard, even more intense.

Raheem Morris    

Morris is in the same spot Flores was. He is waiting for head coaching opportunities. However, if Morris doesn’t get a head spot, he may head to TV. 

On top of that, while he’s close with LaFleur, he has ties with everyone under the Shanahan tree. Kyle Shanahan will be looking for a DC after Saleh’s departure, and Sean McVay also may be if Chris Shula gets a job.

Sean McDermott

McDermott is a new addition to the candidate pool after his somewhat stunning firing following the Buffalo Bills’ overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday. I’d expect McDermott to get several interviews for head coaching jobs if he wants one. However, if he doesn’t get one, there’s going to be several teams fighting for his services as a defensive coordinator.

Jonathan Gannon

Gannon is the least intriguing of the recently fired head coaches to me. His personality is interesting, and there wasn’t much success in Arizona. However, his players and opposing coaches, including LaFleur, speak highly of his defense. 

I wouldn’t mind him. It would feel like hitting a double in the gap with a runner on first and two outs, only for the runner not to get home. It’s nice and all, but there definitely could’ve been a better outcome, and now you need more things to go right without a mistake to get a run out of the inning, but you’re also set up for a huge two-out rally if things do go right. Gannon has interest from multiple teams and has interviewed for the Packers.

Jim Leonhard

Leonhard is a name all Wisconsin fans know. The former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator and current Broncos cornerbacks coach was a finalist for the DC job before they hired Joe Barry. 

Leonhard, who has now worked his way up the NFL ranks after making the switch to the pros following the end of his tenure with the Badgers, is now in line for a defensive coordinator job. 

With the Broncos still in the playoffs, interested teams will have to be patient. If the relationship is still strong, I expect Leonhard to be at the top of LaFleur’s list. However, Denver’s current DC, Vance Joseph, may be in line for a head job, and it would make a lot of sense for Leonhard to stay and take over as DC there.

Daronte Jones

Jones is the likely candidate in Minnesota if Flores gets a head coaching job. However, he’s also sought after elsewhere. The Dallas Cowboys interviewed him along with the New York Jets, Giants, and Packers. I assume he waits out Flores before taking anything, so that it could get tricky for other teams. Nonetheless, he’s a highly sought-after candidate.

Aden Durde and Karl Scott

Durde and Scott are both Seahawks assistants. Durde may be more of a tricky candidate to reel in. He’s already the defensive coordinator for Seattle, so Green Bay would have to receive permission to interview him, and he has had several head coaching interviews. 

However, he is not the defensive playcaller. Therefore, it technically wouldn’t be a lateral move to come to Green Bay and take over that defense. If Durde is off the board and you want a piece of that Mike Macdonald system (I would), Karl Scott would make a ton of sense.

Demarcus Covington

Covington, the Packer defensive line coach, is the most likely internal hire for Green Bay. I don’t think he’d be the most inspiring hire for most fans because it would be another internal promotion. However, he’s a former defensive coordinator, has drawn interest around the league, and may also be in line to be Hafley’s DC in Miami.

Al Harris

Most Packers fans know Al Harris. The former Packers defensive back has now had two successful stints with the Cowboys and the Chicago Bears, leading rooms that create an immense amount of turnovers. Green Bay has interviewed Harris, but the Washington Commanders and his former defensive coordinator in Dallas have also requested to interview him.

Green Bay has a lot of options, most of which should give confidence in how this defense will perform next season, but they will have to fend off other teams to land the guy they want.