DONE DEAL: The Ravens coach is confirmed by the Green Bay Packers to be the defensive coordinator.
As of right now, the Green Bay Packers are among the few clubs without a defensive coordinator for the next campaign. They are making every effort to make sure they select the best candidate for the position this time around, having let go of Joe Barry following three disappointing seasons. The Packers have verified interest in and/or interviews with four different coaches as of Tuesday, January 30.
Brandon Staley, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, was the first person to be reportedly interviewed for the position of defensive coordinator with the Packers. He isn’t anticipated to be a front-runner for the job, though, and a lot of people think he’ll rejoin the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, where he was the defensive coordinator.
Additionally, according to reports, the Packers have requested authorization to speak with defensive line coach Aden Durde of the Dallas Cowboys and linebacker coach Bobby Babich of the Buffalo Bills. Thus far, reports have just indicated that Green Bay has shown interest in them; they have not been given authorization to interview them or performed interviews with them.
Christian Parker, the defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos, has also been interviewed by the Packers. According to some insiders, Parker has already received a job offer. But given that Ian Rapoport recently disclosed a new applicant for the Packers’ role, it appears that either Parker declined the position or those reports are not entirely true.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Packers are requesting to interview Baltimore Ravens’ defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson:
Wilson has already spoken with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants and is currently interviewing for the position of defensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, as reported by Rapoport.
Wilson would be interested in joining the Rams because he began his coaching career with them while they were still in St. Louis. From 2012 to 2016, he worked for the team as their defensive backs coach after beginning as a defensive quality control coach.
Wilson was the cornerbacks coach for the New York Jets from 2017 to 2020. From 2019 to 2020, he also served as the passing game coordinator. During the 2021–2022 season, he played the same positions with the Philadelphia Eagles, which helped them win the Super Bowl.
The Baltimore Ravens, who had the sixth-best defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed per game, had Wilson as their defensive backs coach the previous season. With only 16.5 yards allowed per game, they also boasted the best scoring defense and the sixth-best throwing defense.
Wilson played for the Eagles for two seasons, as previously indicated, and contributed to making their passing defense one of the finest in the league. Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay said the following about his position coach back in 2021:
“He has never led me astray, not even once. As I mentioned before, he’s a brilliant guy, so I’m simply shocked that after 15 years in the game, he hasn’t had a DC job. Additionally, he has prior experience playing in this league, so I won’t be shocked if he eventually gets one of those jobs.
Wilson’s NFL experience was restricted to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and training camp in 2004, but Slay makes a valid point. In the NFL, Wilson’s work with defensive backs is well-known and well-respected.
One day, he’ll be a defensive coordinator. Will that day arrive sooner rather than later for the Packers?
