Packers botched chance to hire rising star Evero as DC in 2021. Will they miss a second time?

The Packers passed on Ejiro Evero during their defensive-coordinator search in 2021. If he becomes available this offseason, they cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

Publicly, Matt LaFleur said he hadn't made a decision. The Green Bay Packers had lost the NFC Championship game in devastating fashion days earlier, falling to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field.

However, inside the halls of 1265 Lombardi Ave., LaFleur had already begun the process of changing defensive coordinators.

The arranged marriage with Mike Pettine, the DC inherited from the previous regime, had reached its natural end. LaFleur didn't even have to fire Pettine whose contract expired following the 2020 season. After communicating the change with his staff, LaFleur went about searching for Pettine's replacement. That search included internal and external candidates from both the NFL and collegiate levels.

LaFleur initially targeted Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard for the job. Leonhard played under Pettine for much of his 10-year NFL career and, the Packers believed, could more easily transition the defense to a new system and play-caller than other candidates. Eventually, Leonhard opted to stay in Madison in order to best position himself to take over the program down the line. Leonhard took over the Badgers in 2022 on an interim basis and has the inside track to keep the job full time.

With his top choice off the table, LaFleur considered nearly double-digit alternatives. Some, such as the New Orleans Saints' Ryan Nielson, the Cleveland Browns' Chris Kiffin, and the Philadelphia Eagles' Matt Burke didn't last long into the search. Neither did Bob Sutton, a longtime defensive coordinator then serving as a senior assistant with the Atlanta Falcons.

Others drew more serious consideration. Jerry Gray, a defensive-backs coach already in Green Bay with eight years of DC experience, received one of the first interviews. Chris Harris, a former Chicago Bears safety with a strong reputation within the coaching world, also drew real interest. Veteran defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Barry pitched himself for the role as well, having worked on the Los Angeles Rams' coaching staff with LaFleur in 2017.

Another candidate made it deep into the process: Ejiro Evero. Like Barry, Evero overlapped with LaFleur in Los Angeles. He also had ties to Green Bay from serving as a defensive quality-control assistant in 2016. Evero came with a strong recommendation from Rams head coach Sean McVay as well as from several members of the Packers organization who predated LaFleur.

In the end, LaFleur decided to lean on experience and familiarity. He hired Barry as his new defensive coordinator on Feb. 6, 2021.

The decision raised more than a few eyebrows in league circles given Barry's multiple failed stints as a DC. He oversaw the defense that helped the Detroit Lions achieve the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Seven years later, Barry received another crack at the job, this time in Washington. His tenure lasted two seasons. Even so, LaFleur believed that the superior defensive talent on the Packers' roster would allow Barry to achieve different results this time around.

Fast forward 21 months and LaFleur's handpicked choice for defensive coordinator has again come under fire. Despite the front office bolstering the defense with multiple first-round picks, adding proven veteran Jarran Reed along the trenches, and cornerback Jaire Alexander returning fully healthy from a severe shoulder injury, Barry's unit has regressed. Entering Week 12, only three teams rank worse in run defense. Meanwhile, the pass coverage that once served as the defense's strength now struggles to contain one of the league's least explosive aerial attacks.

As before, LaFleur has not acknowledged publicly that another major shakeup will come to his coaching staff. However, as the losses and mistakes mount, it has become clear that the Packers cannot continue with Barry running the defense beyond this season.

But Barry's shortcomings form just one part of the story. While the Packers mostly flounder on defense, Evero climbed the coaching ranks. The Rams promoted him to passing-game coordinator in 2021 and, after helping the team win Super Bowl LVI, Evero joined the Denver Broncos as defensive coordinator.