Last year, the Green Bay Packers defense delivered its best EPA per play performance since 2010, despite missing All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander for most of the season and ranking only 27th in pass rush win rate. Over 17 weeks, they allowed only 19.6 points per game, their lowest mark since 2019.

Still, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Jeff Hafley’s group. The Packers allowed at least 27 points in four of their six regular-season losses, including 30 or more in three—all against the top teams in the NFC: The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Green Bay’s defense finished the season in the top 10 in nearly every advanced metric, but there were still areas that needed work, especially in the pass rush. The Packers leaned on internal development, brought in DeMarcus Covington to coach the defensive line, and added edge rushers Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, along with interior defensive lineman Warren Brinson in the draft.

The state of the secondary and its lack of depth was a big concern for Packers fans heading into the offseason. The team parted ways with Jaire Alexander, added Nate Hobbs in free agency, drafted Micah Robinson in the seventh round, converted Bo Melton to cornerback, and brought back Corey Ballentine, who spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. Even so, the cornerback room isn’t exactly overflowing with talent. Keisean Nixon is likely to start alongside Hobbs in the 4-3, though he’s been an average corner at best. Carrington Valentine has shown promise, but do the Packers believe he is ready to take the next step?

Fortunately for the Green Bay Packers, Jeff Hafley is an exceptional defensive mind who can get the most out of his players through creativity in a few different ways.

Simulated Pressures

The Packers totaled 45 sacks last year, though 20 of those came in just three games. A big reason they still generated pressure was how Jeff Hafley schemed his pass rush. In Week 7 against the Houston Texans, Rashan Gary rushed from both the interior and the edge, with Hafley frequently mixing stunts, twists, and delayed pressures to keep the offensive line guessing. He also used defenders at the line in zone-drop responsibilities, disguising their intentions and forcing C.J. Stroud to make hurried decisions. That day, Gary posted his season highs in pressures and QB hits, while Stroud failed to reach 100 passing yards for the first time in his career.

A few weeks earlier, against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers sent seven defenders to the line, crowding the A gap. The Vikings positioned Aaron Jones behind the left guard to help handle potential inside pressure. At the snap, Rashan Gary and Karl Brooks executed a stunt inside, with Gary looping over Brooks, while four defenders dropped into coverage. The stunt created confusion along the line and opened up a path for Keisean Nixon to come off the edge and sack Sam Darnold.

Disguised Coverages

In the same game against the Minnesota Vikings, Hafley once again deployed seven defenders at the line, showing a two-man, double A-gap pressure look. Despite the crowded front, only four players rushed: Quay Walker rushed Dornald while Isaiah McDuffie dropped into a robber role. Xavier McKinney lined up at the line of scrimmage but dropped back as a deep safety, with Javon Bullard patrolling the other deep half. By disguising the rushers and dropping key defenders into coverage, Hafley forced the offensive line to hesitate, opening a lane for Quay Walker to record a sack.

To mix things up, the Packers turned to Cover 2 looks in the second half of the season, complementing their base Cover 3 to keep offenses off balance.

If a defense wants to run a system built on deception, versatility is key—and the Packers have plenty of it in all three levels. Javon Bullard played his best football last year when he was near the line of scrimmage, but he can drop back as a deep safety if needed. Edgerrin Cooper might be the perfect chess piece for Jeff Hafley: he can rush the passer, cover, and fly downfield to stop the run. Last year, Cooper saw only the fourth-most snaps among Green Bay's linebackers, but that’s likely to change in 2025.

Cooper could end up being the biggest piece of the puzzle in how Hafley commands his defense. Moreover, the Packers already teased in the offseason the idea of rushing Lukas Van Ness as a defensive tackle on passing downs, which could create even more flexibility for Hafley to design fronts that maximize mismatches. There is a vast path of schematic ideas that Green Bay’s versatility can allow them to explore, and when you combine that with a mind like Hafley, it’s hard not to feel excited about what the final product could look like.

The Packers have a scheme capable of keeping their defense competitive, but it’s still important that they execute the basics—like consistently rushing the passer with four defenders without needing their coordinator to pull out a crazy schematic trick. That said, the second year in a new system is usually when things start to click for players and coaches, so hopefully Packers fans will see their defense take a noticeable step forward in 2025.