Packers retain assistant coaches Jason Rebrovich and Ryan Downard
The Green Bay Packers will have changes on their defensive staff, but at least two important pieces of the previous group are going to be retained. According to ESPN's reporter Rob Demovsky, pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard will stay to work under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Over the […]
The Green Bay Packers will have changes on their defensive staff, but at least two important pieces of the previous group are going to be retained. According to ESPN's reporter Rob Demovsky, pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard will stay to work under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Over the past few days, Peter Bukowski from The Leap had already reported that Rebrovich is expected to have a larger role. That decision aligns with a report from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Silverstein that defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery will not be retained.
Jason Rebrovich has been in the NFL since 2013, working for the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was initially hired by the Packers in 2022 as an outside linebackers coach, then moved to pass rush specialist in 2023. He has a track record coaching the entire defensive line, which he did for the Bills in 2016 and for the Jaguars between 2019 and 2020.
Ryan Downard is a 35-year-old coach who started his NFL coaching career for the Cleveland Browns between 2014 and 2015 as an assistant coach under Mike Pettine. Pettine brough Downard back to the NFL in 2018 as a defensive quality control coach. Since, he's been promoted multiple times, to assistant defensive backs coach in 2019, safeties coach in 2022, and defensive backs coach in 2023.
Downard is the second longest-tenured assistant coach for the Packers at the moment, right after running backs coach Ben Sirmans, who's been in Green Bay since 2016.
Future
Rebrovich and Downard will be back, Montgomery is out. Former quality control coach Justin Hood will also move on, as he was hired to be the new Atlanta Falcons secondary coach.
Inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti is also expected to move on, as Tom Silverstein reported that he will be a part of the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff. Passing game coordinator Greg Williams will not be retained either.
That leaves only one coach with his future yet to be determined: defensive quality control coach Wendel .
So far, the Packers haven't announced new additions to the defensive coaching staff beyond coordinator Jeff Hafley. For the offense, the Packers hired former quarterback Sean Mannion, but his exact position on the staff hasn't been disclosed.
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