Jeff Hafley's Green Bay Packers Defense Put on Notice for 2025 NFL Season 1 Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) celebrates with cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) after intercepting a pass against San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen during their game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was McKinney’s seventh interception of the season.

Jeff Hafley’s Packers defense put on notice for 2025 NFL season

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 1:40 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers‘ defense made major strides in coordinator Jeff Hafley’s first season, in 2024, but that group avoiding a backslide could prove critical this season.

Safety Xavier McKinney became an All-Pro for the first time after signing with the Packers as a free agent last spring, and rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper was a revelation on his way to receiving All-Pro votes by season’s end.

It’s impossible to look at the Packers’ 2024 campaign as anything but a success on defense, but Hafley’s group may need to build significantly on the foundation they set last season if Green Bay is going to make strides towards competing for a championship in 2025.

Hafley’s defense a potential red flag for Packers?

After finishing sixth in total defense last season Hafley’s unit looks to avoid regressing in 2025.

NFL Media analyst Kevin Patra writes that if the Packers don’t repeat their stellar season on defense, it could lower Green Bay’s ceiling.

“If Hafley’s defense devolves into what it was before his arrival,” Patra wrote, of the Green Bay’s worst-case scenario for 2025, “the Packers could struggle to keep pace with the offenses in the division. The lack of a persistent pass rush is one issue, but an inability to consistently slow the run could be a killer. Green Bay might also be counting on Keisean Nixon to play at a CB1 level after parting with Jaire Alexander.”

The Packers’ defense will be tested by what will undoubtedly be an improved Chicago Bears offense in Caleb Williams’ second season, quarterback Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions as well as NFC powerhouses like the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders looming on the schedule.

But, if Hafley’s defense is up to task, the Packers could be a team capable of making real noise and unseating some of those conference heavyweights by season’s end.

Packers' Edgerrin Cooper: Is This The 'Absolute Menace' Poised for All-Pro? 1 Dec 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) celebrates with cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) after Cooper intercepted the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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