What Is Future of Packers’ Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry?

Did coach Matt LaFleur deliver any clues about defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s future during his season-ending news conference on Monday?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Before fielding the first question of a 34-minute news conference to wrap up the 2023 NFL season on Monday, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur made clear he wasn’t ready to address the future of defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

“I know there’s going to be a lot of long-term, big-picture questions. I’m not there yet, fellas,” LaFleur said. “We’re just starting the process.”

If you want to read between the lines – and by read, we mean squint through the waviest lines imaginable – it’s possible Barry’s final game will have been Saturday’s 24-21 playoff loss to the 49ers in which Brock Purdy led the Niners to the game-winning touchdown.

At last year’s season-ending news conference, held the day after the Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions, LaFleur was asked if Barry would return for 2023.

“That’s what I anticipate, yes,” LaFleur responded.

If LaFleur was certain about Barry’s return last year but uncertain on Monday, that would seem to indicate LaFleur is at least contemplating a change.

Barry is under contract for another season.

Barry’s defense did improve down the stretch. After getting decimated in back-to-back games against the Buccaneers and Panthers, performances that led to speculation that Barry would be fired, Green Bay gave up 10 points in Week 17 at Minnesota and nine points in Week 18 at Chicago to get into the playoffs. The defense dominated the first half of the playoff romp at Dallas, then held the 49ers to below their seasons averages in yards and points on Saturday.

LaFleur was asked if the improvement was fueled by schematic changes or improved player performance, a question that opened the door for LaFleur to give at least some credit to Barry.

Instead, he said: “I think it was all the above. That’s going to be part of the conversation.”

Interestingly, while LaFleur intentionally bypassed questions about Barry, he lavished praise on quarterbacks coach Tom Clements when asked if he wanted the 70-year-old assistant to return for another season.

“Absolutely. We’d be crazy not to, right?” LaFleur said.

Asked indirectly about special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, whose unit took a major step back in 2023 and finished just 29th in the annual Rick Gosselin rankings, LaFleur praised his units’ “culture” and “mindset.”

Or, maybe all of this is much ado about nothing and LaFleur will be happy with the bottom line.

Even after getting torched in the home loss to Tampa Bay and the road win at Carolina – the Panthers scored 30 points in the game; they scored a total of 15 points with zero touchdowns in the two games before and the two games after facing the Packers – Barry’s defense finished 10th in scoring. That was Green Bay’s best finish since ranking ninth under Mike Pettine in 2019 and the second-best since the 2010 Super Bowl champions finished second.

Last year’s late-season revival was fueled almost entirely by turnovers, which is something that’s hard to sustain. This season was powered by improved play overall and especially in the red zone. The bend-but-don’t-break Packers finished 17th in total defense, 20th in yards allowed per play and 25th on third down but an excellent ninth in the red zone.

“That’s going to be the next step is to go through and figure out how we can be a little bit more consistent,” LaFleur said. “And it’s not just on defense. It’s in every phase, right? We certainly had our moments on [special] teams and on offense, as well. There’s always going to be moments of struggle, but how can we be a little bit more consistent? Looking at what we do well, how can we best put our players in position to have success? That’s going to be part of this next process.”

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