Somewhere in Miami, Joe Barry must be envious of the talent at safety that’s been handed to new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Never mind, for a moment, the merits of Joe Barry as defensive coordinator. Or the pros and cons of switching to a 4-3 base defense.
There is one obvious reason why the Green Bay Packers will be better on defense in 2024.
In 2023, after general manager Brian Gutekunst made a minimal investment at safety, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford combined to play about 2,000 snaps. Owens started the final 11 games and broke up three passes. Savage started 10 games and broke up one pass. Moreover, Savage and rookie Anthony Johnson, who played about 300 snaps as a seventh-round pick, ranked among the worst-tackling safeties in the league.
Gutekunst didn’t make the same mistake this year.
Step 1 was signing Xavier McKinney to a four-year, $67 million contract in free agency. By total value and annual value, McKinney is the fourth-highest-paid safety in the NFL.
For good reason.
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