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Justis Mosqueda Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley hints at playing a 3-4 defense in 2025
On Monday, the Green Bay Packers’ coordinators spoke to the press for the first time since the team turned in their eight draft picks for rookies last month. While offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich didn’t break any news on the podium, both special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley dropped tidbits about the team’s plan for the 2025 season.
According to Bisaccia, cornerback Keisean Nixon is still going to be in the mix for the kick return job. Nixon made back-to-back first-team All-Pros as a kick returner in 2022 and 2023 before the kickoff rule changes last year. Following the team’s frustrating season-ending loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Nixon stated that he was going to focus on cornerback, not kick returner, as his position moving forward. Bisaccia stated that everyone was unhappy after the playoff loss, but that Nixon would remain in contention for the job.
Meanwhile, Hafley hinted that the team could be playing more 3-4 base looks in 2025. When asked about rookie defender Collin Oliver, he stated that Oliver could be an “on-the-ball linebacker,” a role that is seldom played in a 4-3 defense. On top of that, he stated that one reason he grew to like new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington during the interview process was because of the number of techniques and fronts that Covington coached when working under former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
A lot was made of the Packers’ transition to a 4-3 defense last season. Maybe the team didn’t love the idea of being in a four-man front constantly, though? At minimum, it’s something to monitor going into training camp.
When Hafley was asked about free agent signing Nate Hobbs and which position he’ll play, Hafley stated, “Nate can play outside [cornerback] and Nate can play inside, so we’re going to have him do both.” This shouldn’t have been a surprise, as we wrote last month that the NFL’s nickelback market was operating as if Hobb was going to play slot cornerback, despite the initial reporting claiming that he would be an outside cornerback for the Packers. One topic Hafley wouldn’t touch, though, was any “hypothetical” involving cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The final note we’re going to mention here is that Hafley claims linebacker Edgerrin Cooper “changed his body” this offseason. Hafley said that Cooper has “gotta be close to 240 pounds” now. Cooper weighed in at 230 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine last offseason and was listed under that number on the Packers’ official roster in 2024.
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SlickVision, Methodikal, Kevin and 5 others
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Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley hints at playing a 3-4 defense in 2025I knew it! As soon as we drafted DE Oliver, I was like, this makes no sense, UNLESS we're using 3-4 principles...
Not saying it's good to be a 3-4, but at least some 3-4 principles brought into it.
At the start of last year, Hafley attempted to run his old 49ers stuff, which was basically Cover 3 and inverted Cover 2 which the 49ers stole from the Seahawks Legion of Boom teams.
But over time those Seahawks teams also ran two different scheme up front, a standard 4-3 and a 4-3 with 3-4 principles.
In the 3-4 principles, they had the standard 2 DTs and 1 standard dominant DE... BUT the other DE, a large DE that I believe was basically 300lbs, lined up as a DE BUT played more like a DT run clogging and keeping the LBers free, with a pass rushing OLB to contain the edge.
So it looked like a 4-3 and could play like a 4-3, but it could also play like a 5-2 (3-4 with the DL and OLBers all going forward). It could do either on any given play.
Now, that Seahawks 3-4 principles had both DTs and large DE playing two gapping, which has sort of declined in the NFL and seems like Hafley very much preferred penetration over two gapping... which is good, because we don't have the two gappers on the team. So I assume those DTs will be asked to penetrate instead.
But while I still would of preferred some sort of off-season upgrade at DT, I think the Packers have the large power DEs already in Enagbare, Van Ness, Brooks and Wooden whom all have played at least part time DT roles in college or the NFL. They should have no problem with large DE roles.
The pass rushing OLB is more what they lacked, as they had Mosby who has always been as DE/LB tweener, but they lacked more options, and I think that's where Sorrell and especially Oliver might come in.
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