Packers built new defensive coaching staff with a clear priority, and it signals exactly what Green Bay needs in 2026
Head coach Matt LaFleur and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon clearly want to develop defensive back talent.
The Green Bay Packers lost several defensive coaches this offseason, and the rebuild of that staff reveals a deliberate strategy by head coach Matt LaFleur. Developing defensive backs became the driving force behind most hires Green Bay made on the defensive side of the ball. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, secondary coach/pass game coordinator Bobby Babich, cornerbacks coach Daniel Bullocks, and defensive quality control coach Jamael Lett all share one common thread: extensive backgrounds coaching the secondary.
That focus matters because the Packers need young cornerbacks like Brandon Cisse and Damani Jackson to develop quickly if they want to compete in a loaded NFC North.
Gannon brings a secondary-first résumé
The headline hire was Gannon, who takes over as defensive coordinator after spending last season as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. But his path to play-calling started in defensive back rooms. Gannon served as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Minnesota Vikings, then became the defensive backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts before rising to defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
LaFleur has shown lately a preference for defensive play-callers with secondary backgrounds. Former coordinator Jeff Hafley fit that mold before leaving to become the Miami Dolphins’ head coach. Gannon continues the pattern, and his experience coaching defensive backs at multiple NFL stops made him a natural fit for what LaFleur wanted.
Babich and Bullocks add layers of experience
Gannon is not the only new arrival with deep secondary credentials. Babich joins as the secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator after spending the past two years as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator. Before calling plays in Buffalo, Babich worked as an assistant secondary coach and safeties coach for the Bills. He also had experience coaching linebackers.
The Packers actually interviewed Babich for their defensive coordinator opening back in 2024. LaFleur liked what he saw during that process but ultimately hired Hafley, while Babich earned a promotion in Buffalo. Now LaFleur circled back and brought him to Green Bay in a different capacity.
Daniel Bullocks rounds out the experienced group as the new cornerbacks coach. Bullocks has worked in the NFL since 2016 and spent most of that time with the San Francisco 49ers, where he held roles as an assistant defensive backs coach, safeties coach, defensive backs coach, and most recently the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Kyle Shanahan for the past two seasons. The Packers are bringing him in as a cornerbacks coach, a narrower title than what he held in San Francisco, but his expertise adds significant depth to the staff.
Development is the goal
The Packers also added Jamael Lett as a defensive quality control coach. Lett has experience coaching defensive backs at the college level for Akron and Samford, and while his recent work has been in lower-level defensive assistant and special teams roles, he provides another voice in the secondary meeting rooms.
Green Bay needs all of these coaches to accelerate the growth of its young cornerback group. The Packers drafted Cisse in the second round and Jackson in the sixth round this year, and neither player is expected to step into a starting role immediately. The cornerback room lacks proven depth, and the development timeline for those rookies will determine how competitive the defense can be in 2026. Even a guy like Carrington Valentine, who’s in Year 4, can still round out his game.
The safety group is more established, with Xavier McKinney anchoring the unit. But even there, players like Evan Williams and Javon Bullard still have room to grow. Both are at promising points in their careers, and a coaching staff built specifically to develop defensive backs should help them take the next step.