It did not take long for the Green Bay Packers to find a replacement for former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The Packers hired ex-Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon for the vacant DC position on Monday, allowing head coach Matt LaFleur & Co. to turn the page and focus on the rest of the offseason.
However, as Hafley continues to get acclimated as the new HC of the Miami Dolphins, his first challenge is already setting in.
Hafley has already started putting his roster together with former members of LaFleur's Green Bay staff, and his latest move was no different as he hired Nathaniel Hackett as QBs coach. But as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday, the Cardinals are now hiring Hackett as their new OC to replace Drew Petzing, who will take the same position with the Detroit Lions.
Hackett, the former Denver Broncos HC who also served as OC for the New York Jets, Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills, dealt a huge blow to Hafley just days after he was hired as the Dolphins' QBs coach, forcing him to go back to the drawing board as he looks to build a solid staff around him.
Jeff Hafley Already Facing Challenges in Post-Packers Life
While Hafley brings his defensive acumen to Miami and presents a fresh opportunity for a franchise in need of change, the last thing he wants to see is one of his coaching hires immediately departing to another team. There is more to this, though, when you factor in the coaching changes to this point.
After Hafley began poaching members of the Packers staff to join him with the Dolphins, the Packers responded by bringing in members from the Cardinals, led by Gannon. Keep in mind, the Cardinals just hired former Los Angeles Rams OC Mike LaFleur, younger brother of Matt, as their next HC on Sunday.
Of course, Hackett was fired by the Broncos after a 4-11 start in 2022, and his run with the Jets was one he would like to forget. However, the success he had as Packers OC makes him an intriguing hire and one that Hafley clearly wanted to have on his staff.
With that said, it makes sense for Mike LaFleur to want a coordinator who was on the same staff as his brother, Matt, in Green Bay, but it is still a huge loss for Hafley so early in his NFL HC days.
The Dolphins ranked 24th in defense (24.9 PPG) and 25th in offense (20.4 PPG) this season, so it is clear that there's a challenge in front of Hafley, particularly as the Dolphins deal with an uncertain QB situation with Tua Tagovailoa. As someone who spearheaded a Packers defense that was one of the most elite this season when fully healthy, the potential is there to put the pieces together with the Dolphins.
Still, losing someone like Hackett, who led four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers to arguably the best three-season stretch of his career in terms of pass yards from 2019 to 2021, is the last thing Hafley wanted to deal with weeks into his new position.