The Green Bay Packers saw significant improvement in their defense under Jeff Hafley’s leadership over the past two seasons. Now, with Hafley signed to a five-year contract to be the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the Packers’ search for a defensive coordinator has officially begun.
Here are five names that should be serious candidates for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position.
Five Candidates for the Packers’ Defensive Coordinator Job
There are plenty of coaches who will get a look at the Packers’ defensive coordinator job for the 2026 season, and a decent number should get interviews, with one already confirmed.
However, the Packers are known for promoting from within, so it makes sense to begin with two in-house candidates who are almost certain to receive interviews. From there, the focus shifts to three external options who would make sense for the Packers, including the only confirmed candidate to have a scheduled interview so far.
DeMarcus Covington
DeMarcus Covington, the Packers’ defensive line coach, is expected to be a serious candidate for the vacant DC position. Convington, who joined the Packers in 2025, has experience calling plays as a defensive coordinator.
He spent the 2024 season as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator under head coach Jerod Mayo after spending seven years as an assistant on Bill Belichick’s staff.
Derrick Ansley
Derrick Ansley will be another serious candidate for a promotion from within the Packers’ staff.
Ansley joined the Packers alongside Hafley in 2024 as the team’s defensive passing game coordinator. Ansley also has defensive coordinator experience, serving in that role with the Chargers in 2023.
Packer players highly respect the longtime college football and Chargers defensive backs coach, and he is largely credited with developing many young defensive backs within the Packers’ organization.
Both of these Packers assistants are expected to garner interest across the league, with many DC positions open in this 2026 cycle.
Christian Parker
Christian Parker, the current pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, is the first reported candidate to have a scheduled interview with the Packers for their defensive coordinator position.
Parker spent time on head coach Matt LaFleur’s staff from 2019 to 2020 as a defensive assistant under Mike Pettine, the defensive coordinator at the time. Parker interviewed for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position once before, back in 2024, before the franchise ultimately selected Hafley. His connection to the Packers has already been established.
Although Parker has never been a defensive coordinator at the NFL level, 2026 seems to be the year that changes. Parker is a rising, well-respected coach in the NFL and already has an interview scheduled with the Dallas Cowboys for their open DC position.
Safe to say that Parker is a hot commodity across the league among defensive coordinator candidates this offseason.
Raheem Morris
Raheem Morris would undoubtedly be the exciting hire for the Packers’ defensive coordinator job. Morris, who was just let go by the Falcons after two years as head coach, is the most experienced coach on this list.
He was also a head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before spending three years as the Rams’ defensive coordinator under Sean McVay.
Morris is a close friend of LaFleur’s and would bring an abundance of high-level coaching experience to the staff, which is heavily, but not exclusively, defensive. Having the longtime coach get back to focusing strictly on the defensive side of the ball could allow LaFleur to get the most out of Morris’s skills and expertise. It could also serve as a needed reset for Morris after his stint with the Falcons. Morris helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in the 2021 season as defensive coordinator and served as a defensive assistant with the Super Bowl-winning Buccaneers in 2002.
The Packers would be hard-pressed to find a better-suited candidate for the position.
Jim Leonhard
Finally, Wisconsin’s own Jim Leonhard, the current pass game coordinator for the Denver Broncos.
Leonhard coordinated the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense for six seasons, finding massive success. He even turned down the Packers’ defensive coordinator position in 2021, electing to stay with the Badgers. The Packers instead opted for the services of Joe Barry, an era that fans do not want to repeat.
Leonhard has spent the last two seasons with head coach Sean Payton and DC Vance Joseph with the Broncos. He has played a significant role in leading the Bronocs to the number one defense in the NFL, as well as the number one seed in the AFC. One could argue he helped cornerback Pat Surtain II take home the defensive player of the year award in 2024.
Leonhard would be a first-time DC at the NFL level, but he did a fantastic job at the college level and has coached under some greats in the NFL. Leonhard also brings extensive playing experience, having spent ten seasons as a defensive back in the league from 2005 to 2014.
What better place to begin climbing up the coaching ranks than at home in Wisconsin?
Plenty of candidates are expected to be in the mix for this high-prestige position. The Packers’ defense is loaded with talent, with guys like Micah Parsons and Xavier McKinney fueling Super Bowl aspirations in 2026. The organization must get this hire right to keep those aspirations alive next season.
Who do you think should be the next defensive coordinator for LaFleur’s Packers?