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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Packers defense has a new fumble-forcing emphasis for 2025 season
The Green Bay Packers defense has a new emphasis entering the 2025 season, and early returns at training camp are good. According to Wes Hodkiewicz of Jeff Hafley's Packers defense wants to force more fumbles this season, and the group is motivated by the current NFL record for forced fumbles in a season. Through four days of training camp practices, the Packers have punched a few footballs out of the hands of ball-carriers, suggesting the emphasis is translating to the field. Last season, the Packers forced 16 fumbles. The NFL record is 34, set by the New York Giants in 2010. To reach the goal would require Hafley's defense to more than double last season's output, but as the old saying goes, you get what you emphasize at the professional level of football. The Packers were plenty good forcing fumbles last season. Twelve different players forced a fumble for the Packers in 2024, including Keisean Nixon (3), Carrington Valentine (2) and Kingsley Enagbare (2). The 14 turnovers caused off forced fumbles ranked the Packers third in the NFL. But Hafley wants more. Part of forcing fumbles is arriving violently and intentionally at a ball-carrier, using a punch technique to pry the ball loose or having multiple players rally to the ball-carrier to provide an opportunity to strip it away. But a bigger part of the forced fumble equation is the strip sack, which the 2010 Giants all but mastered. That season, Osi Umenyiora forced an NFL-best 10 fumbles, and Umenyiora and Justin Tuck combined for an incredible 15 forced fumbles on their own. The Packers will need edge rushers such as Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness to actively hunt the ball when pressuring the quarterback, and pass-rushers in general must do a better job targeting the ball when closing in on the quarterback in 2025. Training camp is providing the testing ground. "You see guys come out in practice, anytime they're close to the ball, anytime anyone's close to the ball, punching at it violently," second-year safety Evan Williams told Hodkiewicz. "We're talking about angry, violent intentions. The picks are great, obviously, but I feel like it's another thing to go get a forced fumble because no ball carrier is going to give you the ball." The Packers ranked in the top five for takeaways in Hafley's first season as defensive coordinator, thanks to a strong mix of interceptions (17) and recovered fumbles (14). Interceptions are game-changing plays, but forcing a fumble often requires a more intentional act from the defense. Can the Packers punch out more footballs, create more strip-sacks and generate even more takeaways in 2025?
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
5 Burning Questions For The Green Bay Packers' Defense
The Green Bay Packers hope second-year linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) is poised for a breakout ... More season. By most measures, the Green Bay Packers' defense made major strides in 2024. The Packers jumped from 17th to sixth in total defense. Green Bay finished sixth in points allowed after placing 10th in 2023. The Packers vaulted from 28th to seventh in rushing defense. And Green Bay forced 31 turnovers (fourth overall) after taking the ball away just 18 times in 2023 (23rd overall). First-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was innovative, aggressive and a major upgrade from underwhelming Joe Barry. 'I thought Jeff Hafley did an amazing job coming in here in year one,' Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. 'Those guys really grew together, and they were a unit. I thought we were playing our best football on defense at the end of the year.' Now, Hafley's unit will try to build on their solid, but far-from-spectacular 2024. Green Bay's lost nose tackle T.J. Slaton in free agency and released injury prone cornerback Jaire Alexander, who missed or couldn't finish 38 of the Packers' last 68 games. Cornerback Nate Hobbs was Green Bay's biggest addition in free agency. That means the majority of the defense is back and potentially poised for big things. When training camp begins Wednesday, here are five burning questions for Green Bay's defense.1. Is four enough? Jeff Hafley had to have defensive envy. Hafley, the Packers' defensive coordinator, never could get consistent pressure with his front four last season. So Hafley cranked up his blitz percentages on third and long (45.2%) and third and medium (54.4%) situations. Meanwhile, Philadelphia had one of the lowest blitz percentages in the league, ranking 29th overall at 20.2%. The Eagles still got terrific pressure with four, which was a major reason they became Super Bowl champions. 'We need to affect the quarterback more in our front four, with just four players,' Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. 'That's gotta get better if we're going to accomplish our goals.' Gutekunst didn't select a defensive lineman until the fourth round in April's draft, when he took Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell. So last year's group must crank their games up. Tackle Kenny Clark is coming off an injury plagued season (foot) that was the worst of his nine-year career (one sack, four TFLs). End Lukas Van Ness played with a broken right thumb and posted disappointing numbers of three sacks, six quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. Tackle Devonte Wyatt shined early with three sacks in the first four games. Wyatt missed Weeks 5-7 with an ankle injury, though, and had just two sacks the rest of the year. And while Rashan Gary had a team-high 7.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl, he doesn't finish enough. Green Bay's front four of Gary, Clark, Wyatt and Van Ness are all former first round draft picks. Three battled injuries last year and are hoping improved health means greater productivity. Packers coach Matt LaFleur also fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich after the season and hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. Green Bay finished ninth in the league with 45 sacks last year. The pressure was inconsistent, though, and Hafley had to get creative with his blitz packages. 'Anytime you can get pass rush with your front four and allows you to play coverage, it makes it extremely difficult on the offense,' LaFleur said. The Packers need their front four to make things more difficult in 2025.2. Is Cooper the Packers' next great linebacker? In 2009, Green Bay rookie linebacker Clay Matthews finished his first season with a bang, then parlayed that into a 13.5-sack season in 2010. Could Edgerrin Cooper have similar success in 2025? Cooper averaged just 14 snaps per game the first four weeks of 2024. He made dramatic strides, though, and finished the year with 13 tackles for loss — which led all NFL linebackers and all rookies. 'He's special, man,' Packers defensive end Kingsley Enagbare said of Cooper. 'I feel like he's a future Hall of Famer.' Cooper was second on the Packers with four turnover plays, fifth in sacks (3.5), fifth in passes defensed (four) and sixth in tackles (77). Cooper was also the only player in the NFL with 75-plus tackles, 13-plus tackles for loss, three-plus sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Amazingly, Cooper did all that despite playing just 45.1% of the defensive snaps. Now, after bulking up to 240 pounds and maintaining his explosiveness, Cooper could be ready for a huge season. 'He's locked in and he's focused,' Hafley said of Cooper. 'Now he knows what he's doing. Your rookie year you're kind of in survival mode a little bit too. So he just needs to be more consistent. He's gotta stay healthy and continue to improve and he's a guy that we're really excited about because he can do a lot of different things too.'3. Can the corners hold up? Green Bay's top three cornerbacks of Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine probably won't cause sleepless nights for offensive coordinators. The group should be able to play winning football, though. Jaire Alexander didn't play after Week 11 last season, meaning the Packers went with Nixon and Valentine down the stretch. Green Bay allowed a respectable 18.4 points and 225.6 passing yards in those eight games. The Packers then signed free agent corner Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million contact in March. While many believe cornerback is Green Bay's weakest positional group, the Packers seem to feel otherwise. 'We feel pretty good about our group right now,' Gutekunst said. 'The guys that we have in that room, they've got some pelts on the wall, so to speak, as far as what they've been able to do in the National Football League. So, we'll kind of see how that goes.' There is reason for optimism. Nixon posted career-highs in tackles (88), tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (three) last season. He also had a team-leading three forced fumbles. Valentine started the final seven games for the oft-injured Alexander and finished with his first two career interceptions, forced two fumbles and added five passes defensed. And the versatile Hobbs can play outside or inside, but must clean up his missed tackle rate of 22.2%. 'Guys hungry, want to play ball,' Nixon said. 'I played with Nate (in Las Vegas). C.V. (Valentine) is ready to go. I played every playoff game since I've been here with C.V. Secondary is good.'4. Can the turnovers continue? One reason the Packers' defense fared as well as they did last season was their ability to take the ball away. Green Bay forced 31 turnovers, which ranked fourth in the league. That was also the Packers' most takeaways since 2011, when they had 38. Green Bay's 17 interceptions were the fourth-most in football. And its 14 fumble recoveries ranked third. 'We get to play with vision on the quarterback, and I love doing that,' Packers safety Xavier McKinney said last season. 'And I know we do as a defense because we're able to play with our instincts, we're able to call out different things, see different things and be able to just trust in what we see and go out there and make a play.' The Packers averaged 22.7 takeaways per season under coordinator Joe Barry from 2021-'23, including just 18 in 2023. Green Bay also averaged 19.3 takeaways per season under coordinator Mike Pettine (2018-2020) and 27.9 under coordinator Dom Capers (2009-2017). McKinney was an enormous reason for Green Bay's improvement, as he finished with eight interceptions, a fumble recovery and was named first-team All-Pro. Cornerbacks Keisean Nixon (three forced fumbles, one interception) and Carrington Valentine (two interceptions, two forced fumbles) were also part of four turnover plays. Can it continue? At least one returnee believes so. 'I'm not going to lie: We're going to be dangerous,' second year safety Javon Bullard said. 'We're going to be dangerous. And I'm not just saying that. We're going to be a special group.'5. Big games, little performances As good as Green Bay's defense was in Hafley's first season, the unit failed miserably in big games. The Packers allowed 28.7 points and 361.2 yards per game in their six contests against NFC powers Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, Green Bay was 0-6 in those games. The fewest points the Packers' allowed in those games was 22 against Philadelphia in their Wild Card loss. And that total would have been higher if Eagles running back Saquon Barkley hadn't turned down a 59-yard touchdown run late in the game, choosing instead to fall down to help run out the clock. 'I can't sit up here and say we're on the same level if we ain't beat them,' safety Xavier McKinney said of Green Bay's subpar performances against the NFC's elite. 'In order to be on the same level, you gotta beat these teams.' Quarterbacks Jared Goff, Sam Darnold and Jalen Hurts combined to throw 14 touchdown passes and five interceptions against Green Bay in those six contests. And the Packers dug themselves double digit deficits in five of those six games after allowing an average of 17.0 points in the first half. 'Big games all year, we didn't finish,' cornerback Keisean Nixon said. 'We've got to learn how to finish. It doesn't matter how good our roster is or who we've got on our team. The other players are good, too. We've got to learn how to finish. We learn how to finish, we're going to be Super Bowl ready.'
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Reasons for optimism about Packers pass-rush entering 2025
The Green Bay Packers need to do a better job of consistently disrupting the quarterback during the 2025 season. Everyone in Green Bay knows it. Every fan of the team understands it. While the Packers didn't make significant additions along the defensive front, there are still reasons to be optimistic about the state of the pass-rushing unit entering this season. Here are a few reasons that the pass-rush could be better in 2025: Healthy Kenny Clark: The Pro Bowler injured his foot in Week 1 and then labored through one of his worst professional seasons before having surgery to fix the issue in January. Clark isn't getting any younger, and injuries are a concern for older players, but it's reasonable to think he could bounce back in a big way in 2025. Clark averaged over 50 pressures a year between 2022 and 2023; he had only 34 in 2024, and most were nothing more than hurries. Expect more pressure and disruption created by No. 97 this year. Lukas Van Ness in Year 3: The 2023 first-round pick had a mostly quiet and disappointing first two NFL seasons. But Mark Oldacres of Packers Wire did some digging and discovered that many first-round picks at edge rusher break out in a notable way in Year 3. Can Van Ness do the same? He's going to get chances to rush the quarterback from the edge and inside. If Van Ness can become a reliable disruptor from multiple alignments, the Packers' pass-rush will be in good shape. Rashan Gary in Year 2 with Hafley: Gary's production and efficiency as a rusher took a slight dip in his first year back as a 4-3 defensive end. Could he rediscover some of his past greatness as a rusher in Year 2? Prior to 2024, Gary's last two healthy seasons resulted in 66 pressures (2023) and 87 pressures (2021). There's no reason to think he can't get back to 60-70 pressures if healthy in 2025. DeMarcus Covington: Don't underestimate the power of good coaching. A former coordinator, Covington worked under Bill Belichick in New England and is well-versed in several different systems and front alignments. Will he solve all the problems up front? Maybe not, but it won't be surprising if the Packers play better under a more experienced defensive line coach. Jason Rebrovich rarely got the most out of his guys up front. Healthy Devonte Wyatt: The 2022 first-round pick was well on his way to a big-time season when he hurt his ankle in Week 4. Wyatt still ended up producing 32 pressures on 250 pass-rushing snaps. Can he avoid injury and truly break out in his fourth season? He's proven to be a hugely valuable interior disruptor when available. The Packers need (and should get) more snaps out of Wyatt in 2025. Hafley's blitzes: First-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley proved his creativity and ability to improvise when he orchestrated one of the NFL's best blitz packages in 2024. The Packers don't want to rely so much on blitzing in 2025, but having Hafley's blitzes and the athletes to execute them (see: Cooper, Edgerrin) is a nice backup plan. Expect the Packers to evolve as a blitzing defense to keep quarterbacks guessing in 2025. Rookies: Fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell was nothing if not solid as a multi-year starter at edge rusher for Texas, while fifth-round pick Collin Oliver is an exciting athlete who created a ton of disruptive production at Oklahoma State. Could one of the rookies provide immediate help? Sorrell will get opportunities to win snaps as a rotational rusher with the second unit, while Oliver could provide some much-needed juice and speed as a rotational subpackage rusher. Brenton Cox Jr. in Year 3: Cox will have to win a roster spot in camp, but his progression through two seasons is notable and suggests he could take another jump in Year 3. After a redshirt rookie season, Cox produced 4.0 sacks in just seven games down the stretch last year. He has legitimate pass-rushing talent. Unlocking more of it in 2025 could turn him into a truly useful player for the Packers defensive front. No more Slaton snaps: As great as TJ Slaton was against the run, he provided almost nothing as a pass-rusher. That's kind of a problem for a lineman who was on the field for over 200 pass-rushing snaps last season. Slaton is now in Cincinnati, and the Packers didn't do much to replace him as a true nose tackle. If more of the defensive tackle snaps go to better pass-rushers, the Packers could naturally improve their ability to disrupt the quarterback on early-down passing snaps.
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jeff Hafley's Packers defense led NFL in pressure percentage on blitzes in 2024
Jeff Hafley's Packers defense led NFL in pressure percentage on blitzes in 2024 Jeff Hafley's Green Bay Packers defense had to resort to blitzing and games up front to pressure the quarterback during the 2024 season, but the first-year defensive coordinator got terrific production out of both concepts even as the Packers struggled to get home with a traditional four-man rush. According to Pro Football Focus, the Packers led the NFL in pressure percentage on blitzes and were fifth in pressure percentage on stunts in 2024. Per PFF's charting, the Packers generated pressure on an NFL-best 48.3 percent of blitz attempts and 46.7 percent of stunts. PFF pointed to linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and cornerback Keisean Nixon as successful blitzers who helped Hafley generate pressure -- both Cooper and Nixon had elite pass-rush grades over 90.0 in 2024. The Packers planned to rush four and play coverage behind the front in Hafley's scheme, but an inconsistent front four required a transition, and Hafley -- in his first season an NFL coordinator -- successfully found ways to dial up pressures. Cooper, a dynamic player moving downhill, produced 12 pressures on only 56 pass-rushing attempts. The Packers also got pass-rushing production from linebacker Quay Walker (14 pressures), Nixon (nine pressures), linebacker Eric Wilson (nine pressures) and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (eight pressures), highlighting how second-level defenders were able to help Hafley's defense speed up and disrupt quarterbacks on creative and well-timed blitzes. This offseason, Hafley admitted the Packers will need to "evolve" in their pressure packages to stay ahead of offenses entering the 2025 season. "We need to evolve," Hafley said. "We can't just do the same thing. Say here's the play book, this is what we're running. No, we're a different team. It's a different year. Offenses are going to evolve, we have to evolve." The Packers are hoping new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington will help get the most out of the defensive line in 2025, which would -- in theory -- create less pressure on Hafley to use blitzes to disrupt pockets and passing games. It's no coincidence that a few of the NFL's best defenses -- like the Eagles and Broncos -- were among the best at pressuring the quarterbacks with four or fewer rushers.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Continuity should be an asset for Packers in 2025
Continuity should be an asset for Packers in 2025 Change is unavoidable and often necessary in the NFL year over year, but the Green Bay Packers should have the benefit of real continuity -- both in terms of players and coaches -- during the 2025 season. On the coaching side, the Packers are returning their offensive playcaller (Matt LaFleur) and all three coordinators, including defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley -- who led the Packers to top 10 finishes in several important statistical categories during his first season in Green Bay in 2024. On the player side, the Packers are dealing with a low amount of roster turnover. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the Packers are returning 84.5 percent of last year's roster in 2025, ranking second in the NFL behind only the Denver Broncos (86.0%). As long as the Packers retain Jaire Alexander for 2025, the key players from last season will be intact. Brian Gutekunst let center Josh Myers, defensive lineman TJ Slaton, cornerback Eric Stokes and linebacker Eric Wilson depart in free agency, but Myers (with Aaron Banks), Stokes (with Nate Hobbs) and Wilson (with Kristian Welch and Isaiah Simmons) were immediately replaced by veterans. This isn't to say the Packers' roster will be a replica of 2024. Gutekunst added an eight-player draft class that featured first-round pick Matthew Golden and offensive lineman Anthony Belton. The fringes of the roster will be turned over with young, incoming players. The Packers also signed five veterans who played with other teams last season. And it's always possible a surprise or two will emerge during training camp, altering the look of the 53-man roster come September. However, the important pieces of the foundation were carried over. On offense, LaFleur will call plays for Jordan Love, who is entering his third year as a starter and sixth season in the same offense. The team's top four running backs, top seven receivers and top four tight ends are all back. Adam Stenavich interviewed for head-coaching jobs but now returns for his fourth season as the offensive coordinator, and the Packers even brought back long-time assistant Luke Getsy to work with quarterbacks and the offense. The big turnover on the offensive coaching side was quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who is being replaced by Sean Mannion, a former NFL quarterback who spent last season learning under the veteran quarterback coach in Green Bay. Defensively, the Packers fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich after a disappointing year in 2024, replacing him with former Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington -- creating a big change but also the potential for big improvement. Linebackers coach Anthony Campanile left for a defensive coordinator job in Jacksonville, but his replacement -- Sean Duggan -- spent last year as the assistant under Campanile and has a long history working with Hafley. Speaking of Hafley, his defense is entering Year 2 after a strong finish to the 2024 season. If the pass rush is better, and young players like Edgerrin Cooper, Lukas Van Ness, Evan Williams and Javon Bullard all take a step forward, this could be a very good defense in 2025. On special teams, coordinator Rich Bisaccia is back to lead what is expected to be the same three specialists -- veteran kicker Brandon McManus, ascending punter Daniel Whelan and long snapper Matt Orzech. Continuity is often important in this special teams battery, and the Packers have it entering 2025. The Packers are once again young after having the youngest team in football each of the last two seasons. But it's possible 2025 could be a sweet spot year in Green Bay, considering the continuity in the coaching staff and on the roster, and all the valuable experience gained over back-to-back playoff seasons in 2023 and 2024. This is a young but experienced team that isn't having to deal with a bunch of change entering 2025.
