For the third time under head coach Matt LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers will have a new defensive coordinator. Starting in 2026, Jonathan Gannon will be LaFleur’s fourth defensive coordinator. The three previous coaches to have the position under LaFleur are Mike Pettine (2019-2020), Joe Barry (2021-2023) and Jeff Hafley (2024-2025).

Pettine was a holdover from the Mike McCarthy era, where he replaced Dom Capers after Capers served as defensive coordinator for nine seasons (2009-2017).

Under Hafley, the Packers made the transition from a “3-4” defense to a “4-3” defense. With Gannon being in charge now, will the defense look more like Hafley’s? Or will it be more of a 3-4 team like it was in the previous 15 seasons under Capers, Pettine and Barry.

The reality of today’s NFL is teams run nickel defense the majority of defensive snaps, so what is the difference if the alignment is a 2-4-5 (two down lineman, four linebackers and five DB’s) or a 4-2-5 (four linemen, two linebackers and five DB’s).

Is it that much of a difference if the edge rushers in the front six are considered defensive ends or linebackers? Are the front four having their hands in the ground or standing up in a two-point stance?

In Gannon, the Packers will be getting a coordinator who has used more of a 3-4 in base in the last five years as the D.C. in Philadelphia and head coach in Arizona.

In 2021, the Eagles started defensive ends Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat and the interior tackles were Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave, as they were a “4-3” defense.

However in 2022, when the Eagles led the NFL in sacks, the Eagles started Sweat, Cox and Hargrave in the front seven, but played Haason Reddick as a standing up linebacker/edge rusher and he was near the top of the league with 17 sacks, as well as Jordan Davis as a nose tackle.

The 2022 Eagles also had Vic Fangio as a consultant who’s coaching experience goes back to working under Capers as the defensive coordinator with both the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans. Both Capers and Fangio have both run their defenses from a “3-4” base front.

In Arizona, the Cardinals defense was also a “3-4” defense as Sweat came over to the Cardinals and became the team’s top rusher, finishing with 12 sacks this season. Sweat became a standing up pass rusher under Fangio in Philadelphia and continued that in Arizona. The Eagles was also drafted Nolan Smith in the first round in 2023 (the same draft as Lukas Van Ness) who is much more suited as a standing up edge compared to Van Ness, who rushes better from his hand in the ground.

How does the Affect the Packers?

Of the current players, clearly the guy for Gannon to plan his defense around are likely Micah Parsons and. In Parsons, the Packers have one of the most versatile edge players in the entire league. He was great as a “defensive end” for Hafley, but he also flourished as a “linebacker” with the Cowboys.

With the way Parsons moves around, it’s hard not to see similarities to how Clay Matthews was used by Capers in his first few seasons. Parsons also could be the linebacker who rushes like Reddick was for Gannon when he racked up sacks for the 2022 Eagles.

“The Others”

Along the defensive front, how will Gannon utilize the others guys. The current group of edges are: Parsons, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver. The defensive tackles are: Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson.

Gary had his best season in 2023 as a stand-up linebacker before going back to a hand-down rusher, which he was in college. However, age and mileage could be more of a reason for Gary declining in 2025 and possibly being cut in the offseason.

Free-agent-to-be Enagbare had his best season in 2024 with 4.5 sacks as a defensive end, but he also has two years experience as an outside linebacker in 2022 and 2023. Van Ness seems more suited to the current defense, as an interior rusher in a front four or a down-lineman in a front four. The former first round pick did not stand out as a standing up linebacker. Both of last year's rookies, Sorrell and Oliver project as either type of edge rusher, with Oliver being very intriguing as he is essentially a 240-pound pass-rush specialist.

As for the interior linemen, Wyatt, Brooks and Wooden make up a decent group of three-technique tackles, but what the Packers really missed was a nose tackle. Kenny Clark was traded in August for Parsons and T.J. Slaton left in free agency. One of the biggest priorities for Brian Gutekunst is likely finding a starting, run-stuffing defensive tackle. This could be either in the draft or free agency.

What role will the linebackers have?

In either defensive alignment, the Packers will likely have two traditional off-ball linebackers. In Philadelphia, Gannon’s defense started T.J. Edwards and converted safety Kyzir White. White also followed Gannon to Arizona where he led the Cardinals in tackles in 2024 as an inside linebacker.

The question mark with this unit is another pending free agent, Quay Walker, who was the green-dot of the defense the last few years. The Packers could bring him back or he could follow Hafley to Miami to lead their defense. If the Packers move on from Walker, Edgerrin Cooper or Ty’Ron Hopper would be the most likely candidates to be the two inside linebackers.

The Packers could also look into a player who’s played under Gannon. A possibility could be Walker’s former Georgia teammate Nakobe Dean, should the Eagles not re-sign him.

What Jonathan Gannon’s Defense REALLY Means for the Packers (Quarters, Cover 7 & What’s Coming Next) https://t.co/0RL1vD2DNu #Packers #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/JMVd2VEIR6

— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) January 28, 2026