3 Packers Defenders on the Chopping Block After Joe Barry Firing

2. Darnell Savage

The safeties have been a group that has consistently been a weak spot for the Packers' defense. Throughout Barry's tenure, safeties had a knack for getting criticized due to their bad tackling and soft coverage on the backend.

According to Pro Football Focus, Green Bay's safeties ranked 17th in coverage this season. This was something that Savage had difficulty with. It was on full display in the Divisional Round loss to the 49ers.

Savage got cooked in man coverage against George Kittle, giving up a 32-yard touchdown. Later on in the game, the Maryland product completely whiffed on a tackle against Christian McCaffrey, allowing a 39-yard touchdown run.

Furthermore, Savage had a down year in 2023. He logged career lows in games played (10) and total tackles (51) with zero interceptions.

3. Jonathan Owens

Owens is another safety that may be on the chopping block heading into 2024. He had trouble wrapping up ball carriers on the backend. The 28-year-old regularly whiffed on open-field tackles and didn't create turnovers.

Owens didn't help his case in the loss to San Francisco. The Missouri Western product failed to bring down Kittle in the third quarter, giving up a 32-yard catch and run. On the next play, McCaffrey gave San Francisco a 14-13 lead.

Later on in the game, Owens had an opportunity to bring down McCaffrey near the goal line but completely missed the tackle.

There have been multiple occasions where Owens looked lost in coverage and didn't wrap up offensive players. Green Bay could be looking to add two new safeties to their secondary in 2024.

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