Three traits the Packers' new defensive coordinator must have

The Packers are on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator. 

DC Joe Barry was fired following Green Bay's elimination from the playoffs and for head coach Matt LaFleur, hiring his replacement is going to be perhaps the biggest decision of his career.

LaFleur has proven to be an offensive mastermind and his young talent, headlined by quarterback Jordan Love and wideouts Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs, looks to be contender-worthy heading into next season.

The defense has plenty of promise, but Barry could never get the most out of them. The Packers' Super Bowl window is wide open, but LaFleur has to make the right decision on this next hire.

With that in mind, here are three qualities he should look for in his next defensive coordinator:

1. Aggressive

One of the reasons Barry didn't work in Green Bay was because he was famously passive. It was far too often that the Packers would be defending a third-and-short and Barry's secondary was caught looking 10 yards back — and sometimes even further than that.

Too many easy first-round completions led to a defense that would both bend and break, especially when it mattered most.

Throw in Barry's apparent allergy to blitzing and Green Bay's defense was far too soft.

A defensive coordinator who can be aggressive with the elite athletes at his disposal such as Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary and Quay Walker is a must.

2. Able to adjust

Another problem of the Barry era in Green Bay was the Packers' inability to adjust when things weren't working. It seemed that once Barry had game-planned for an opponent, that game plan was set. When he got it right, things, of course, looked good.

When an offense had him figured out or adjusted at halftime, Barry seemed unable to answer, though. 

For an example of this, just look at the season-opener from 2022, when Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson caught nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He was running open from the get-go of the game and Barry couldn't adjust his defense to stop him. 

Games like that happen when superstar players are on the other sideline, but that happened far too often in Green Bay under Barry's watch.

3. Be able to punish average quarterbacks

Part of the reason Green Bay's defense was so maligned in 2023-24 was because of its inconsistency. The Packers had a stretch where they played great against quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff and Justin Herbert. They then followed that up by making mid-tier quarterbacks like Tommy DeVito and Baker Mayfield look like future Hall of Famers.

A good defense may not be able to stop a great quarterback but it can slow them down. Against a mid-tier to low-tier quarterback, though? Good defenses have a way of absolutely shutting down imposter quarterbacks, and that was something Barry's unit never could seem to figure out.

That needs to change with the next guy.