With Jeff Hafley leaving town -- as expected -- to become the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the Green Bay Packers will have a tough task finding a new defensive coordinator. And, with so many teams still trying to fill vacancies on their coaching staff, they will face some steep competition.
Notably, that includes Denver Broncos assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard. Green Bay wants to interview him for the position, but with Leonhard also set to meet with the Dallas Cowboys and potentially other teams, time will be of the essence.
Notably, as pointed out by Dallas Cowboys beat reporter Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, the Packers -- and all teams keeping tabs on him -- will either have to meet with him right away or hope the New England Patriots beat the Broncos on Sunday.
The Packers Can't Afford to Wait Long for Jim Leonhard
"The timeline for assistants targeted to be coordinator hires — like Jim Leonhard — is actually different from HC hires," Hoyt wrote on X. "The Cowboys could talk to Leonhard up until Saturday, but then can’t until after DEN is eliminated."
Of course, that also applies to the Packers, and that leaves the team in a tough spot. Even though Leonhard has some obvious ties to the area as a Wisconsin Badgers legend, there's simply no guarantee that he'll want to take the Packers' defensive coordinator job.
Green Bay will then have to wait for someone who may not take the position or who would rather sign with another team. Given that most of the top candidates may already be signed by the Super Bowl, the Packers can't only root for Mike Vrabel's team.
Finding someone to replace Hafley will be an uphill challenge for Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst. The former Boston College head coach turned the defense around overnight after years of underperformance.
Leonhard doesn't have experience as a defensive play-caller in the pros, but he did serve as the Badgers' defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022, even taking over as interim head coach in his final year with the program.
He's been coaching for ten years now, and while he still has to earn his stripes in the league, he's been a quick riser in the coaching ladder. With him at the helm, the Broncos gave up just 187.2 passing yards per game, the seventh-fewest in the league. Whether he'll be available by the time the Packers make up their minds, however, remains to be seen.