When veteran NFL coach Joe Barry was brought in to be the Packers' next D-coordinator this offseason, there were high hopes for what he could make of a talented but youthful defense that includes five former first-round picks. His loud, intense style of coaching was one that Matt LaFleur seemed confident would resonate with the players.
The Beginning of the Joe Barry Era
Three weeks into the 2021 season, the Packers still struggle versus the run and their pass defense - the alleged strength - hasn't consistently clicked. Miscommunications were especially prevalent during the first two weeks and penalties muddied an otherwise strong showing versus the Niners in Week 3.
It's well-known that Barry prefers to generate pressure solely through the front four, rather than rushing an extra linebacker or defensive back. As was the case during halftime of the Packers' Week 2 game versus the Lions, this strategy will quickly be overruled by LaFleur when exposed by talented offenses.
And it could result in added responsibility for the secondary.
Can Barry rely on his defensive backs to sustain tight coverage on receivers without extra support? Even amidst their mixed results early on, you can practically smell the raw talent. Loaded with former first-round picks, this defensive backfield has the potential to be the best unit the Packers have had since their Super Bowl run.
Historic Investments in the Secondary
Comparing this year's positional group to that of the Packers' Super Bowl team is quite a statement. Despite the many injuries encountered during the 2010 season, the roster was flush with DB talent: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Nick Collins, Morgan Burnett and Sam Shields.
Despite losing Collins to a career-ending injury in 2011, the Packers sustained a comparable level of talent over the following two seasons, adding Casey Hayward to the group in 2012 and Micah Hyde in 2013. With Dom Capers' defense particularly stingy versus the pass, the Packers' emphasis on the secondary had proven to be a wise strategy.
Then, in 2016, the Packers then went through a drought - but not for lack of trying.
Then-GM Ted Thompson made the difficult decision of moving on from Hayward, choosing instead to invest in Shields, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and a pair of second-year cornerbacks. A year later, they let the ascending Hyde walk into free agency while again choosing to double down on their young DB talent that would be gone from Green Bay only years later.
To make matters worse, the newly-paid Shields, the main benefactor of Hayward and Hyde's departures, suffered a neck injury during the first week of 2016 season, ending his career as a Packer. Thompson would conclude his mixed success of drafting defensive backs in 2017 with flame-out safety Josh Jones and now infamous Kevin King, who appears close to being unseated as CB2 in Barry's defense.
The Trajectory of the 2021 Secondary
The Packers have a clear talent deficit in their front seven, with defensive ends that routinely lose in the trenches and linebackers that simply lack the physicality to stop dominant rushing attacks. To offset these gaps, GM Brian Gutekunst has clearly tried to recreate the core competency they once had in the secondary with first-round investments in Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage and Eric Stokes, and free agency money thrown at Adrian Amos.
This second shelf of the D comes with a myriad of capability, including size, speed, physicality and ball skills. According to Pro Football Focus via Packers Wire, Amos finished 2020 with the second-highest grade among safeties. Alexander - the definition of a complete cornerback - has snagged three interceptions in his past four games and is already being heralded as the best in the game.
While Alexander and Amos are already engrained as elite talents, Stokes is still a project. In his first career start against the 49ers, however, the rookie leaned on electric speed and known physicality to largely keep Niners wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in check. Savage, best known for his ball hawking ability, has looked like a much more willing tackler through three games than during his first two seasons as a Packer.
With elite quarterbacks a table-stakes requirement in today's NFL, the front office knows how important it is to have, not one but multiple viable defensive backs. With Alexander's quick rise to stardom, Amos more than living up to his free agent contract and the gradual emergence of Savage, the Packers are three-quarters of the way there. Whether the rookie Stokes can supplant King on the perimeter could be the difference in taking the unit to next level.
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