GREEN BAY, Wis. – As head coach at Boston College, new Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley employed a base 4-3 defense.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Packers will switch out of the 3-4 scheme they’ve run since Dom Capers was hired in 2009, but it’s possible.
We’ll get into how that would look in a moment, but, for the most part, the difference in schemes is irrelevant. The NFL’s universal base defense is nickel. That’s how all teams line up most of the time. In 2022, for instance, the Packers were in nickel 66 percent of the time compared to 29 percent for their base 3-4, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Regardless of whether a team runs a 3-4 or a 4-3, nickel means four men at the line of scrimmage, two off-the-ball linebackers and five defensive backs. With the size the Packers preferred in their outside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme, their move to defensive ends in a 4-3 scheme would be relatively simple for Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness.
As LaFleur said in November: “We have some of the bigger outside linebackers in this league. When you go nickel defense, those outside linebackers become defensive ends. And the way we always judge it is, would you want a running back blocking Preston Smith? Would you want a running back blocking Rashan Gary? The answer is usually no. So, they are defensive linemen.”
With that as a backdrop, here’s how a depth chart might look with a 4-3, with unrestricted free agents and significantly injured players not included.
Defensive end: Rashan Gary, Brenton Cox
Defensive tackle: Kenny Clark, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden
Defensive tackle: TJ Slaton, Devonte Wyatt
Defensive end: Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness
Outside linebacker: Isaiah McDuffie
Middle linebacker: Quay Walker
Outside linebacker: De’Vondre Campbell
Cornerback: Jaire Alexander, Robert Rochell
Cornerback: Carrington Valentine, Eric Stokes
Slot: ---
Safety: Anthony Johnson
Safety: Benny Sapp, Zayne Anderson
Continue Reading @ Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated wrote: