The Green Bay Packers are in the middle of a playoff run, so building the 2024 coaching staff is a story for the other day. Maybe good performances by the defense incentivize head coach Matt LaFleur to keep his assistants, but the general perception is still that defensive coordinator Joe Barry might be gone after the season ends.

And this is an agitated period for coaches. Firings and hirings happen all around the league, creating holes and opportunities for staff members and teams. Two moves were particularly noteworthy for the Packers — not necessarily the main news, but its ramifications.

Two of the most relevant head coaches fired were Arthur Smith, by the Atlanta Falcons, and Mike Vrabel, by the Tennessee Titans. Matt LaFleur worked with both of them in Nashville in 2018, when he spent a year as the Titans offensive coordinator.

Smith might get at least an offensive coordinator job, and Vrabel has a goot shot at getting another immediate opportunity as a head coach. But their firings give the Packers some interesting options if they want to move on from Barry.

Shane Bowen

Bowen is still the Titans defensive coordinator. The team will probably retain his rights while looking for a new head coach.

He replaced Dean Pees as the Titans DC in 2021, and even though Vrabel has a defensive background, the coordinator was the playcaller. The team had strong performances between 2021 and 2022, and was seen around the league as a well-coached unit.

Even with a rebuilding roster to a certain degree in 2023, the defense was still 18th in DVOA — much better than the offense, and much better than the Packers defense (arguably with lesser talent).

Shane Bowen has been in the NFL since 2016, first as the Houston Texans defensive assistant. He followed Vrable to Tennessee. When LaFleur was the Titans offensive coordinator in 2018, Bowen was the outside linebackers coach.

Ryan Nielsen

Nielsen is in a similar situation. He is still under contract with the Atlanta Falcons, but his future is uncertain since the team fired Arthur Smith.

The coordinator is interesting because he actually interviewed for the Packers DC job in 2021, but didn't end up being one of the primary options. Reportedly, LaFleur offered the job to former Wisconsin Badgers DC Jim Leonhard, and the other finalist alongside Joe Barry was Ejiro Evero.

However, Nielsen is a smart coach with a solid background as the New Orleans Saints defensive line coach. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2022, and then was hired as the Falcons DC in 2023. His performance was not great, as the Falcons finished the season as the 24th defense by DVOA.

This would be a hiring more based on scheme fit considering the Packers defensive personnel and a bet on his growth as a coach than on his results in 2023 — just like Green Bay did with LaFleur in 2019.

There are several moving parts, and the Packers will have a clearer picture after the season. However, the fact is that the lack of options won't be a problem if Matt LaFleur decides to make changes.

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