5 Things We Learned From Packers Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley

The Green Bay Packers’ defense made impressive strides in 2024 under first-year coordinator Jeff ... More Hafley. The Green Bay Packers’ defense made impressive strides in 2024 under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley. Green Bay finished sixth in scoring defense (19.9), sixth in total defense and seventh against the run. The only defensive starter Green Bay lost from the team that finished the year was tackle T.J. Slaton. So the Packers believe they can be better on that side of the ball in 2025. Hafley met with the media Monday, and here are five things we learned. 1. Can strong finish carry over? Green Bay improved throughout the course of 2024, allowing just 16.0 points per game in its final four regular season contests. In their playoff loss to the Eagles, the Packers held Philadelphia to its fewest points in the postseason. Hafley is optimistic his unit can build on their strong finish to 2024. “Probably the biggest thing is, I thought we were playing really hard at the end of the year,” Hafley said. “Like we were really physically, we were really running to the ball, guys were playing confident, guys were communicating and I just felt like we came alive and that’s probably the thing – throw out the numbers, the statistics and where we were – I think we played harder than our opponents at the end of the year and we were more physical. “And that’s what I’m most proud of and appreciate the most of the guys. Expectations? In a perfect world you want to get back to where you left off as fast as possible and build from there, so how fast can we do that?” 2. Hobbs can help in many spots Green Bay’s most notable defensive addition in free agency was cornerback Nate Hobbs, who spent his first four years with the Raiders. Hobbs can play outside and in the slot, and Hafley believes he’ll give Green Bay an immediate boost. “He’s had a lot of success inside, and I thought his tape outside was equally as good,” Hafley said of Hobbs. “He is competitive, he’s tough, he is physical, he plays the game fast, you can tell he loves it. It just jumps off the tape. He’s been a great addition and he does give you that versatility where you can move him around and again, I’m a big fan of that.” 3. Where’s the rush? Green Bay’s pass rush was mediocre in 2024, and the Packers did little to address it in the draft. Green Bay selected edge rusher Barryn Sorrell in the fourth round and undersized linebacker/pass rush specialist Collin Oliver in the fifth. That means the Packers will once again lean on veteran Rashan Gary and third-year man Lukas Van Ness as their primary edge rushers. “I need to be better. Our coaches need to coach better. Our players need to play better,” Hafley said of rushing the passer. “We just don’t want to stay the same. We want to be better. We lost in the playoffs. That wasn’t good enough. “We’ve got to figure it out as we go, but I think we’ll be able to do that better. I’m confident there.” 4. What’s next for Cooper? Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper had a terrific rookie season, where he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. Cooper finished his rookie season with 77 tackles (13 for loss), 31⁄2 sacks, seven quarterback hits, four passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 14 games (four starts). So what’s next for Cooper? “Consistency,” Cooper said. “I mean when you see him now, he looks different. I mean he’s bigger now. He’s got to be close to 240 pounds and this Year 2 for him, he knows what it’s going to take. “He knows what he has to do now to stay healthy because as much as we talked about not having him on the field last year, he was injured quite a bit, where he missed a lot of time and didn’t practice and couldn’t play. Now he knows what it’s going to take to stay healthy in this long season and you can tell he’s dedicated that time into caring for his body and changed his body and now when you sit with him in that room it’s, I mean, he’s locked in and he’s focused. Now he knows what he’s doing.” 5. The Alexander saga Hafley was asked about the future of disgruntled cornerback Jaire Alexander. Spouting the company line, Hafley said very little. “I respect the question and I hope you respect my answer on that one,” he said. “Yeah, so I’d rather not talk about hypotheticals. Whenever everything pans out and we figure out who’s here, we will do the very best we can to put them in great positions and making plays and when I find out we’ll do that.” Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2025/05/12/5-things-we-learned-from-packers-defensive-coordinator-jeff-hafley/