In his pursuit of a new defensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is not skipping any detail.
Joe Barry was fired by LaFleur last week following three frustrating and unsatisfactory seasons. When LaFleur last held this role, the Packers had chosen not to extend Mike Pettine’s contract.
LaFleur then went into the hiring process with the intention of finding a defensive coordinator who would implement the Fangio defensive philosophy.
This time around, however, the Packers’ head coach seems much more concerned about getting a quality coach rather than hiring for a specific scheme. While he has interviewed Fangio disciple Brandon Staley, the former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, the other candidates he has interviewed, or requested permission to interview, come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
So far, the Packers have been confirmed to have interviewed or have requested to interview the following coaches:
Last time he was in the market for a defensive coordinator, LaFleur interviewed nine candidates. In addition to these five, NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero just revealed the Packers’ sixth candidate.
The Green Bay Packers Want to Interview Baltimore Ravens Inside Linebackers Coach Zach Orr According to Pelissero, the Packers have requested to interview Baltimore Ravens inside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that Green Bay also requested to interview the Ravens’ defensive backs coach, Dennard Wilson:
Orr had a short three-year NFL career that saw him have one of the best final seasons in recent memory. In 2016, his only year as a starter, he had 133 total tackles, three interceptions, five passes defended, and a forced fumble.
He was named Second Team All-Pro that year, but a neck injury made it the last of his brief playing career. The following year, Orr joined the Ravens coaching staff as a defensive analyst, a job which he held until 2021. That year, he was plucked by Urban Meyer to be the Jacksonville Jaguars inside linebackers coach.
Following one year in Jacksonville, Orr returned to Baltimore as their inside linebackers coach. This season, the Ravens had the best scoring defense in the NFL,holding opponents to just 16.5 points per game.
Many Ravens defensive assistants are getting looks at defensive coordinator jobs around the league. At just 31 years old, Orr is the youngest. He is also widely believed to be one of the best up and coming young coaches in the NFL.
Leave a Reply