If the Green Bay Packers intend to replace Joe Barry after the postseason, they have the potential to hire one of the league’s finest defensive coordinators. This season, Barry has been on the hot seat as the Packers defense has been gashed at inopportune times.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has recently praised Barry’s defense. To close off the season, his defenses delivered outstanding performances against the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears. The defense is perhaps the primary reason the Packers are in the playoffs, where they will face the Dallas Cowboys next week.
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It’s unclear whether Barry has done enough to warrant a comeback in 2024. Regardless of what happens in the Packers’ postseason, many Packers fans and experts want Barry’s zone defense out of Green Bay. That organization must be thrilled with the recent news regarding the New York Giants.
The Green Bay Packers may be able to secure an outstanding defensive coordinator for 2025.
Don Martindale, the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator, resigned on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
The resignation was shocking, as “Wink” Martindale is widely regarded as one of the league’s best defensive coordinators. Martindale was ranked sixth best defensive coordinator by Pro Football Focus ahead of the 2023 season:
“Martindale may have relocated from Baltimore to New York to take on the role of defensive coordinator, but his aggressive style and play calling remained — and were successful. Last season, no club in the NFL played more Cover 0 or Cover 1 (man coverage) than the Giants.
While in man coverage, their coverage and pass-rush teams were in sync, producing 136 pressures and 24 sacks. Martindale, 60, has 18 years of NFL experience and is still dialing it up with the best of them.”
Martindale won Super Bowl XLVII as the Baltimore Ravens’ linebackers coach. In Baltimore, he was named defensive coordinator for the 2018 season. Martindale left to become the Giants’ defensive coordinator in 2022 after helping lead the team to the playoffs last season.
Martindale should be aggressively pursued by the Packers for the position of defensive coordinator in 2024. He’d be a boost for a Packers defense that’s desperate for more man coverage.
