ClutchPoints
The first season under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was undoubtedly a success for the Green Bay Packers. It didn’t feel like it at times, of course, and that was especially true as the Packers went 1-5 against their foes in the NFC North, but the stats tell a good story for Hafley’s unit.
The Packers were ranked sixth overall in yards given up per game at 315.6. They had a top 15 passing defense and a rushing defense that was ranked seventh amongst all NFL teams, giving up just 99.4 yards per game on the ground. In terms of points per game, the Packers were sixth, giving up 19.9 a contest.
Those are incredible numbers when you think about the context. It was Hafley’s first season in Green Bay after leaving the head coaching gig at Boston College to coach under Matt LaFleur. It was also the Packers’ first season in a 4-3 defensive scheme. They’ve been a 3-4 team for years upon years, so being arguably a top 10 defense while adjusting to those changes is, frankly, incredible.
Yes, there’s a lot to like about what Hafley was able to do in 2024, but the Packers need to keep growing and getting better. That’s especially true with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears — now with a new head coach in offensive wunderkind Ben Johnson to go along with Caleb Williams — all boasting potentially potent offenses.
Green Bay General Manager Brian Gutekunst needs to give Hafley more weapons to work with in 2025. Whether that’s through the 2025 NFL Draft or via free agency, making a push to become the best defensive unit in the NFL is a must for the Packers.
Here are three players — two through free agency and one through the draft — the Packers need to add in 2025.
Sauce Gardner is the big name for the New York Jets, so for many NFL fans, there’s a chance that D.J. Reed is a bit under the radar.
Reed should be very high on the Packers’ radar this offseason, though. So much so that they should use a good chunk of their $43.9 million in cap space to bring him in to bolster the defensive secondary.
The Packers are elite in the back end with Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams holding it down, but former first round pick Eric Stokes will be a free agent the Packers likely won’t bring back, and Jaire Alexander struggles to remain healthy. There’s a world in which he won’t even be with the team next season because there is an out in his contract.
As such, Reed could come in and be Green Bay’s CB1 from the get-go. He didn’t notch an interception this season, but he did secure 52 tackles and 11 pass breakups. He has six career interceptions since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2018....
