By most measures, Jeff Hafley’s first season as Packers defensive coordinator was a resounding success. So much so that the Jets interviewed him last Friday to be their head coach.

The Jets also interviewed the cashier at your local KwikTrip, so odds are Hafley will be back for his second season in Green Bay with a chance to build upon what was an improved defense, yes, but one that wasn’t without flaws.

First, the good. The Packers went from 10th in scoring defense in 2023 (20.6 points allowed per game) to sixth in 2024 (19.9). They went from tied for 17th in yards allowed per game (335.1) to sixth (315.6). They went from 28th in run defense (128.3 yards allowed per game) to seventh (99.1). They went from tied for 23rd in takeaways (18) to fourth (31). And they went from the 15th-best tackling team, according to Pro Football Focus, to the fourth-best.

Safety Xavier McKinney earned his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors under Hafley, while rookies Javon Bullard, Evan Williams and especially linebacker Edgerrin Cooper cemented themselves as defensive starters for the present and future. Former nickel Keisean Nixon established himself as a capable outside cornerback under Hafley’s tutelage while two-time All-Pro Jaire Alexander missed 11 games and 2022 first-round picks linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst, had the best seasons of their young careers.

Perhaps most impressive, though, is how Hafley adjusted on the fly based on his personnel.

“I thought there was an incredible amount of growth, to be honest with you, in terms of maybe a vision of what we wanted to do and where we went to were kind of two different things,” head coach Matt LaFleur said at his season-ending press conference last Tuesday. “But I think that’s good coaching, right? You make the necessary adjustments and you put your guys in position and then ultimately those guys gotta go out there and execute. I thought Hafley did an outstanding job and it’s not just Haf. It’s our entire defensive staff.

“I envisioned rushing four and playing three deep/four under a heck of a lot more and we ended up doing a lot of simulated blitzes and different pressures and playing a bunch of Cover 2.”

We have completed an interview with Jeff Hafley for our Head Coach position.

— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 17, 2025

Now, the not-so-good. One way to read LaFleur’s assessment is the Packers didn’t have pass rushers capable of winning one-on-ones often enough, so Hafley had to get creative with ways to generate pressure. There were times he did, like when he’d crowd the line of scrimmage with six guys, drop two into coverage, including a defensive lineman, and rush a defensive back or linebacker instead who then sacked the quarterback while the Packers still rushed four. If you examine the important pass-rush numbers, they’re not bad. The Packers ranked 13th in pressure percentage and 10th in sack percentage, according to TruMedia.

Yet Gutekunst and LaFleur aren’t making decisions based on TruMedia and defenses can only live off those exotic pressures so much. Gutekunst said last Thursday of the pass rush, “We didn’t grow into that consistent front like we had hoped.” The team fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich the next day.

The Packers had four sacks combined in three games against the Lions, Vikings and Eagles in Week 14, Week 17 and the wild-card round, respectively. Forget pressures. They’re important, but quarterbacks for the best teams (the Packers went 0-6 against the conference’s three best) should be able to generate offense under pressure. Sacks end plays, and the Packers stockpiled them against teams like the Titans and Seahawks (15 combined). Whoop-dee-do.

Green Bay needs cornerbacks, wide receivers and offensive linemen this offseason, but it might need an impact pass rusher more than anything. Rashan Gary is making $24 million per year but didn’t play like it often enough. Lukas Van Ness, a 2023 first-round pick, has yet to break out.

Gutekunst said Wyatt was the team’s best interior pass rusher, which is good for him but not great for fellow defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who makes more than $21 million per year. Gutekunst said they have the guys to get the job done, but do they really?

“With pass rushers, you can never have enough and I thought there were times this year … that we were able to rush with four,” Gutekunst said. “There was periods of time where we didn’t do that well enough … I think everybody understands that that affects your football team. Again, I think Haf did a great job of marrying what we had together to make us — what were we, top five, top 10 defense, for sure?”

The flashy answers are Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, but who knows if the Raiders or Browns will put either on the trading block. Even if they do, Gutekunst would have to be comfortable cutting off an arm and a leg in draft capital and money and he didn’t sound thrilled at the prospect of doing that for any veteran player when discussing the hypothetical last week.

The upcoming free-agent edge rusher class, headlined by Khalil Mack, Haason Reddick, Demarcus Lawrence, Chase Young, Matt Judon and Josh Sweat, isn’t particularly enticing. Eight of the top nine impending free-agent interior defensive linemen in terms of current average annual salary are at least 30 years old. There’s a chance the Packers simply add a body for depth and rely on Van Ness to finally tap into his potential, Gary to remind everyone why he makes what he does and others like Brenton Cox Jr. to blossom with more playing time. Or, maybe Gutekunst shocks everyone, bucks the historical trend in Green Bay and trades for a marquee name like Crosby, Garrett or someone else to hound quarterbacks.

Mustering a more disruptive pass rush, especially when sending a traditional four, would do wonders for not only the defensive front but also a back end that will likely have Nixon and Carrington Valentine at outside cornerback with Alexander sure to be released or traded.

Wreaking havoc up front could take Hafley’s defense from great to championship-worthy. Simply approaching that echelon this soon into his NFL play-calling career is impressive enough.

“He was in college for four years, so a lot of this improvement that we saw was, quite frankly, it was more impressive than I thought maybe I would see,” Gutekunst said. “And I’m really excited to see what he does with our defense moving forward and whatever new pieces we might add.”