The Green Bay Packers may (likely) be done making additions to their roster, but that does not mean that the rest of the staff is set in stone.
Head coach, Matt LaFleur, announced on Thursday that the Packers were bringing on former Green Bay offensive coordinator and Denver Broncos head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, as a defensive analyst.
LaFleur Outlines Nature Of Hackett’s ‘Defensive Analyst’ Position
In speaking to the media, LaFleur spoke about Hackett’s new role being on the defensive, rather than the offensive side of the ball that he is more familiar with.
“We’ve got kind of a history with guys who are out there,” LaFleur said on Thursday, “certainly he’s a guy that I really respect, we’ve had a lot of really great times together. He’s coming in and doing an analyst role for our defense.”
LaFleur also pointed to the fact that the team has started a bit of a trend in hiring former NFL head coaches to be an “analyst” for the opposite side of the ball they normally coach, giving that side of the ball a new angle to see things from the eyes of a coach who would typically game plan against them.
LaFleur Explains Genesis And Reasoning Behind Hackett Switching Sides
“Last year we used [former quarterbacks coach, Luke] Getsy in a similar role.” LaFleur continued, “We had [former Jets head coach, Robert] Saleh, Getsy, I mean we’ve had a lot of guys. I just think it’s a fresh perspective; especially when you take a defensive guy and put him on offense and vice versa: an offensive guy on defense, it gives you a different lens to see it through and talk through.
So he’s sitting in with all our defensive staff. He’s been in the linebacker room and kind of just going through the film and gives them a good offensive perspective…he’ll be in and out throughout the course of the year.”
The Packers’ head coach also explained the history behind doing this side-of-the-ball swap started during his time with the Atlanta Falcons, where he was the quarterbacks coach from 2015-2016.
Now Falcons head coach, Raheem Morris, came over from the defense to be a receivers coach and helped give the offensive players a totally new way of seeing things – and that move stuck with the Green Bay head coach so much that he has made it a trademark position of his staff for the past couple of seasons.
How Will Packers Fans Feel About Nathaniel Hackett Returning?
Unlike the fanbases of the Broncos and Jets franchises, who have no love lost for Hackett; he is still well-regarded by both the supporters and coaching staff of the Packers.
Hackett was the offensive coordinator under which Aaron Rodgers had his two most recent MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021. Although many attribute much of the credit to Rodgers’ success to LaFleur and indeed, Rodgers himself, the now-Steeler has oft spoken at lengths concerning the admiration he has for Hackett.
Defensive analyst will likely not shift the needle too much, but if he even helps to aid in one or two specific plays, like Robert Saleh did in 2024, the hire will be regarded as a success.
