Packers build new defensive staff with an obvious focus
The Green Bay Packers will have a significantly different defensive coaching staff in 2024, and head coach Matt LaFleur has built the group with an obvious priority. On Wednesday, it was reported by Matt Zenitz, from 247 Sports, that the Packers are hiring Anthony Perkins as an assistant defensive backs coach. At Oregon State, Perkins […]
The Green Bay Packers will have a significantly different defensive coaching staff in 2024, and head coach Matt LaFleur has built the group with an obvious priority. On Wednesday, it was reported by Matt Zenitz, from 247 Sports, that the Packers are hiring Anthony Perkins as an assistant defensive backs coach.
At Oregon State, Perkins was the defensive backs coach. A former college player, he has coached at Indiana State, Ohio, Colorado State, and Oregon State. At the NFL level, he had a two-year experience with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 2017 and 2018 as an assistant to the head coach, working primarily with defensive backs.
Packers' focus
Prioritizing the secondary seems to be a common theme for this new Packers defensive coaching staff. For starters, new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley himself is a former DBs coach, both in college football and in the NFL.
The staff also has passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley, who is also a former DBs coach for the Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and at the college level.
The defensive backs coach is still Ryan Downard, who held the position last year after being promoted from safeties coach. Now, the group will be assisted by Anthony Perkins.
Rest of the staff
To work with the defensive line, the Packers will have coach Jason Rebrovich, promoted from pass rush specialist, and assistant Vince Oghobaase, who was a DL coach at Boston College.
With the linebackers, the staff has coach Anthony Campanile, whom Hafley classified as a "star" and who will also be the run game coordinator, and defensive assistant Sean Duggan, a former co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Boston College.
So far, the only defensive quality control coach on defense is Wendel Davis, who's been with the Packers since the Matt LaFleur inaugural staff in 2019. The team had two DQC last year, but Justin Hood left to be the Atlanta Falcons secondary coach.
Comparison
Last year, the Packers had only two coaches working primarily with the defensive backs. Besides aforementioned Ryan Downard, the other one was passing game coordinator Greg Williams.
He spent only one season in Green Bay, replacing veteran Jerry Gray, and was let go after the season — he became the Los Angeles Rams' inside linebackers coach.
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