Packers Lose DL Coach Candidate to Cowboys

Of the three known candidates that surfaced after Packers coach Matt LaFleur fired Jason Rebrovich, only one remains available.
Then-Buffalo Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington talks to his players during training camp in 2022.
Then-Buffalo Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington talks to his players during training camp in 2022. / Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – New Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is wasting no time in filling out his coaching staff. Meanwhile, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is still looking for a defensive line coach.

On Wednesday, the Cowboys announced that Schottenheimer had hired Aaron Whitecotton to be his defensive line coach. Whitecotton is one of three coaches known to have interviewed for the vacancy in Green Bay. Whitecotton and Kacy Rodgers, who went from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Detroit Lions, are no longer available.

The only known candidate who remains available is former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington.

The Packers need a defensive line coach after LaFleur fired Jason Rebrovich.

Washington is a strong candidate.

Before serving as the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 2024, he was with the Buffalo Bills for four seasons as defensive line coach in 2020 and 2021, defensive line coach and senior defensive assistant in 2022 and defensive line coach and assistant head coach in 2023.

“He is a great communicator with elite leadership skills, and he will enhance our current defensive staff,” former Bears coach Matt Eberflus said upon hiring Washington. “His track record speaks for itself with coordinator experience as well as expertise in the area of defensive line.”

During Washington’s tenure, the Bills ranked first in points allowed, eighth in sacks and 21st in yards allowed per carry.

“He’s really got a presence to him,” Rod Marinelli, who was Chicago’s defensive line coach in 2009 and defensive coordinator in 2010 when Washington was a first-time NFL assistant, told The Athletic. “He’s very, very, very detailed. And he’s just got a nice way of dealing with people, but he’s strong. And he just did a really nice job. He was really a sponge learning pass rush, coming up from college into the NFL.

“And just the thing I always admired was his work habits. (He was) in early and worked smart on the details. So, you knew he had a chance to be really good.”

The Packers need to crank up the pass rush. In 2024, the defensive line’s four first-round picks, Rashan Gary (7.5 sacks), Devonte Wyatt (5.0), Lukas Van Ness (3.0) and Kenny Clark (1.0), combined for 16.5 sacks. Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks by himself.

“I thought there were times this year we were able to rush with four,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “I think every team in the league, that’s how you’d prefer to do it. There was periods of time where we didn’t do that well enough. I think everybody understands that that affects your football team.”

Former Bears defensive lineman Corey Wootton called Washington “old school” and the type of coach necessary to take a young defensive line to the next level.

Aside from Clark, who just completed his ninth season, and Gary, who just wrapped up his sixth season, the Packers’ defensive line was filled with youth, with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare and defensive tackle TJ Slaton serving as veterans as third-year players.

LaFleur also could look within his staff. Vince Oghobaase was Rebrovich’s assistant last year. He was Jeff Hafley’s defensive coordinator at Boston College from 2020 through 2023 and also was an assistant defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 and 2017.

“I had the opportunity to work with Vince in San Francisco and his knowledge of the game, energy and commitment to the players jumped out to me,” Hafley said after hiring Oghobaase in 2020.

“At Ohio State, he trained under one of the best defensive line coaches in all of football in Larry Johnson and he gained excellent experience the last two seasons at the defensive line coach at UCLA.”

Latest Green Bay Packers News

Packers offseason preview: Salary cap, free agents, fifth-year options, Jaire Alexander, draft capital, positions of need

Latest news: NFL special teams rankings | It starts with the GMs | Packers won the trade deadline | Lessons from conference championship games | Zero first downs | Incredible third-down problem | Grading the receivers | Must re-sign player | Edgerrin Cooper snubbed | Packers, NFC North overrated? | Ben Johnson talks smack at Matt LaFleur | Two All-Rookie defenders

Postseason grades: Defensive tackles | Defensive ends | Tight ends  | Running backs | Receivers | Offensive line | Quarterbacks  | Report cards on coaching, personnel | Unit report cards on offense, defense

NFL free agency: The top 100 is missing … | Tee Higgins | Carlton Davis | Drew Dalman

Coaching: Rich Bisaccia stays | The DL candidates … Eric Washington | Kacy Rodgers | Aaron Whitecotton | He’s off the list | Fired … Jason Rebrovich. Gone … Robert Saleh. | Stenavich to Seattle? | Campanile to Jacksonville?

Mock drafts: Bucky Brooks 1.0 |  PFF seven-rounder | 33rd Team | PFF | Another 33rd Team | Daniel Jeremiah 1.0 | Seven-round mock | Rebuild at corner | Mel Kiper’s Marshall plan


Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.