What’s Biggest Story for Packers Training Camp?

What will be the biggest storyline for the Green Bay Packers during training camp? The growth of Jeff Hafley’s defense will be critical.

Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. / Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The question for a Sports Illustrated NFL training camp roundtable: What will be the biggest story for the Green Bay Packers?

The easy answer is Jordan Love and the passing game.

With a massive contract extension on the horizon, will Love pick up right where he left off at the end of last season, when he seemingly established himself as the team’s next star quarterback?

Love, of course, was sensational down the stretch. In leading the team’s 6-2 finish, he threw 18 touchdown passes vs. one interception. That plus-17 was reminiscent of a lot of Aaron Rodgers’ legendary runs. He piled on with three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Cowboys in the playoffs. 

A lot of Love’s success came while receiver Christian Watson and tight end Luke Musgrave were out with injuries. With those two healthy, the Packers have an abundance of weapons. How will it all shake out when only five skill-position players are allowed on the field and there’s only one football?

However, let’s assume the offense is going to be good. Even if Love is merely good and not great, there is too much talent for the offense to not thrive.

So, same as a lot of years under Rodgers, the Packers will field a high-octane offense. Will a talented defense torch opposing offenses or will it go up in flames?

The makeover started at the end of last season, when coach Matt LaFleur fired Joe Barry and replaced him with Jeff Hafley. The defense was actually fine last season. It ranked 10th in points allowed – just the second top-10 finish since winning the Super Bowl in 2010.

However, it ranked 17th in total defense, 23rd in yards allowed per rushing attempt and 20th in yards allowed per passing attempt. While it sacked the quarterback, it didn’t force turnovers (second-fewest in the NFL) and too often couldn’t get off the field (25th on third down). When push came to shove in key moments, too often it was the unit being shoved.

Enter Hafley, whose defenses were mostly terrible in four seasons as the head coach at Boston College. Before getting the BC job, Hafley was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2019. That defense was great, ranking No. 1 in yards allowed per play, No. 2 in total defense and No. 3 in points allowed.

Of course, a coach is only as good as his talent. That was as true at Ohio State as it was at Boston College.

General manager Brian Gutekunst took care of the talent by signing safety Xavier McKinney in free agency and drafting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and safety Javon Bullard in the second round.

Somewhere in Miami, where he is the Dolphins’ linebackers coach, Barry must be thinking, “Gee, thanks, Brian.” The safety corps, in particular, should be infinitely better with McKinney and Bullard instead of Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens.

The switch from the 3-4 to the 4-3 is largely irrelevant. All 32 teams live in nickel, anyway, and if one scheme was better than another, every team would run it.

What is important is the personality. Hafley wants his players to be aggressive. At the line of scrimmage, the goal will be tackles for losses against the run and pressures against the pass. In the secondary, it will be see ball and attack.

“It’s about play style,” Hafley said. “That’s why we went out and got guys, both in free agency and in the draft, that we’re going to like the way they play when we turn on the tape. They love football and they’re going to run and hit.”

Will it work? It sounds good in theory to let the defensive front attack and create those big plays in the secondary. But what if they don’t make those plays? What if their aggressiveness is used against them? 

What if it can’t handle the physicality in the trenches displayed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 or the defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions in their two division showdowns? What if they don’t have enough playmakers in the secondary to deal with the likes of the San Francisco 49ers or even the Chicago Bears?

The growth of Cooper and Bullard will be critical. It’s always dangerous to be counting on rookies to be major contributors, but that will be the case with the second-round picks. Cooper will bring a lot more juice at linebacker than did last year’s veteran starter, De’Vondre Campbell. Same with Bullard at safety.

However, they play positions that will be targeted by opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. They will be asked to learn and grow on the fly. How quickly they grow could decide the fate of the defense and the team in 2024. 

The process will begin with the first practice of Packers training camp on Monday. 

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