The Green Bay Packers' coaching staff was dealt a huge blow when defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley left for the Miami Dolphins' head coaching job earlier this month. Although Hafley's exit wasn't surprising, it stung more as he took assistants Sean Duggan and Ryan Downard with him to South Beach, leaving time to tell if any other coaches were preparing to leave Green Bay.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich's future with the Packers was also in question after the Tennessee Titans showed interest in him for their OC opening. But with Brian Daboll landing the Titans gig on Tuesday, it looks like Stenavich doesn't have anywhere to go.
Adam Stenavich Will Get Another Run with the Packers
Head coach Matt LaFleur might be an innovative offensive mind, but he's not very open to change when it comes to the coaching staff. Barring a disaster, he usually keeps the people he trusts around, so this isn't much of a surprise.
Also, it's not as if this is the first time this has happened. LaFleur allowed Stenavich to interview for the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans' OC jobs last season before ultimately returning to Wisconsin.
In Stenavich's four years with the team, the Packers rank 10th in scoring, ninth in total offense, and sixth in yards per play. That being said, LaFleur's hands are all over the offense, not just as the play designer but also as the play-caller, so Stenavich is more of a glorified assistant rather than a regular offensive coordinator.
If the Packers were to move on from Stenavich, quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion would probably be the next in line. He drew some buzz as offensive coordinator in this hiring cycle, and he served as an OC at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Offensive passing game coordinator Jason Vrable would be another interesting in-house candidate. He was an offensive coordinator at the Senior Bowl last year and has been an offensive assistant with the Packers since 2019.
Still, the Packers' offensive issues run deeper than whoever is helping LaFleur prepare the offense. His play-calling has been way too conservative at times, and that has cost the team in key moments and against winning teams almost every season.
LaFleur should probably give up play-calling duties to focus on being more of a game manager. It feels like he struggles with everything on his plate, and while injuries also took a toll on this team's chances this season, the sample size is big enough to realize that his late-game decision-making has held the team back way too many times.
But whether Stenavich is the right man to lead the charge remains to be seen.