The Green Bay Packers have made a significant decision regarding their coaching staff, announcing that defensive coordinator Joe Barry will not be returning for the upcoming season.
Barry had held the position of defensive coordinator for the Packers for a span of three seasons. This move comes as Head Coach Matt LaFleur seeks a change and opens up an intriguing opportunity.
Interestingly, the Packers appear to be considering two former Minnesota Vikings head coaches as potential candidates for the defensive coordinator role.
One of these candidates is Mike Zimmer, who has recently expressed his readiness to make a return to the NFL. Dianna Russini from The Athletic has compiled a list of 10 potential candidates that the Packers could be eyeing for their next defensive coordinator position, with Zimmer being the tenth candidate on that list, while Leslie Frazier occupies the sixth spot.
Mike Zimmer boasts an extensive coaching career that dates back to 1979 when he started as a defensive assistant at Missouri.
His NFL journey began in 1994 with the Dallas Cowboys, where he served as a defensive backs coach. In 2000, he earned a promotion to the position of defensive coordinator, a role he held until his departure after the 2006 season.
Subsequently, Zimmer had stints as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals before being appointed as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 2014.
Many Vikings fans regard Mike Zimmer as one of the top three head coaches in the team’s history, a testament to his remarkable coaching abilities. Throughout his career, he accumulated a noteworthy regular-season record of 72 wins, 56 losses, and 1 tie, marked by numerous victories and memorable moments. He could be a perfect fit for the Packers.
On the other hand, Leslie Frazier, another former Vikings head coach, joined the Minnesota Vikings organization in 2007 as the defensive coordinator under Brad Childress. He later assumed the role of head coach when Childress was dismissed midseason in 2011. Frazier’s tenure with the Vikings, although featuring some unforgettable moments, was marked by a regular-season record of 21 wins, 31 losses, and 1 tie, with only one playoff appearance.
Frazier experienced a revival in his coaching career when he was hired by the Buffalo Bills in 2017. During his tenure from 2017 to 2022, the Bills achieved the third position in the NFL for fewest points allowed per game and secured the second spot in takeaways. After a brief hiatus, the 64-year-old coach is eager to return to coaching.
In terms of the Packers’ defensive performance, they ranked 17th in yards allowed per game (335.1) and had the 10th-ranked scoring defense, allowing an average of 20.6 points per game. Notably, Green Bay displayed improved defensive performance towards the end of the regular season.
While they ranked 31st in opponent rushing yards per game (141.8) in the first 14 weeks, they made a significant leap to the 4th spot (84.3) in the last four weeks. Furthermore, in Weeks 17-18, the Packers boasted the best defense in the NFL, allowing the fewest points per game (9.5) and yards per game (201.5).
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