GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have secured a major addition to new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s staff, finalizing a deal with former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich to become their defensive pass game coordinator and secondaries coach. The move, first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, signals a significant and experienced upgrade for a unit in transition.
Babich brings 14 years of NFL assistant coaching experience to Green Bay, with a deep specialization in the secondary. His hiring represents a key victory for the Packers’ leadership, as Babich was a candidate for the team’s defensive coordinator vacancy just two seasons ago before they hired Hafley. He now joins a defensive brain trust looking to reshape the Packers’ identity.
The 40-year-old coach spent the past seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills, serving as their defensive coordinator for the last two. His defensive philosophy aligns closely with that of Hafley, particularly in the use of dime packages, which employ six defensive backs. Both the Bills and Hafley’s former team, the Arizona Cardinals, ranked in the top ten in dime usage last season.
This strategic hire underscores a clear directive for the Packers’ offseason: aggressively bolster the defensive backfield. With a reliance on dime defenses anticipated, Green Bay will need to add multiple capable defensive backs through the draft and free agency to execute the new scheme effectively. The personnel department’s focus has now been sharply defined.
The acquisition of Babich also carries an element of succession planning. By adding a coach with recent defensive coordinator experience, the Packers install a trusted and capable lieutenant behind Hafley, providing stability and depth to the coaching staff. It is a move that strengthens the present while intelligently planning for the future.
Babich’s arrival fills one critical vacancy created by Hafley’s departure from Boston College, as he took several assistants with him to Miami. The Packers’ staff overhaul continues, with the team still needing to hire a linebackers coach to replace Sean Dugan. All indications point to Nick Rallis, a longtime Hafley protégé, being the primary target for that role.
Rallis, who followed Hafley from Philadelphia to Arizona, would be considered another substantial upgrade. Securing him would complete a transformative week for the Packers’ defensive staff, pairing Hafley’s vision with two highly-regarded, scheme-specific assistants in Babich and Rallis. The collective experience jump would be immediate and pronounced.
This coaching surge arrives as the front office prepares for the complex challenges of the offseason. The Packers are currently projected to be over the salary cap, but contract restructures and potential roster moves are expected to create the necessary financial flexibility to pursue players who fit the new defensive mold.
Without a first-round pick in the upcoming draft after the trade for edge rusher Micah Parsons, Green Bay’s first selection will not come until the second round, pick 52 overall. This elevates the importance of both shrewd free agency acquisitions and precise mid-round drafting, particularly in the secondary.
Several names have already surfaced as potential targets for the Packers’ renewed defense. In free agency, cornerback Jaylen Watson of the Kansas City Chiefs could offer value, while a veteran presence like defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers of the Denver Broncos might solidify the interior line.
The draft conversation for Green Bay is dominated by cornerback prospects expected to be available on day two. Ohio State’s Denzel Burke and Arkansas’s Julian Newsome are among the names linked to the Packers, each bringing a different skillset to a room in desperate need of high-end talent and depth.
Further pass rush help could come from the market, with Baltimore’s Daelin Hayes mentioned as a potential target if he reaches free agency. The need for complementary pressure opposite Parsons remains a priority to maximize the impact of the evolving secondary.
The rapid restructuring of the defensive staff sends an unambiguous message about the organization’s urgency. After a late-season defensive decline exposed personnel shortcomings, the response has been to aggressively modernize the coaching philosophy and attract proven NFL teachers.
For General Manager Brian Gutekunst, the blueprint is now clear. He has empowered his new defensive coordinator with hand-picked assistants to install an aggressive, defensive back-heavy scheme. The mandate is to supply them with the athletes to run it. The schematic vision is in place; the personnel chase begins now.
The Packers’ offseason, often a slow-build process, has ignited with purpose. The hiring of Bobby Babich is not merely a staff announcement; it is the first major domino in a comprehensive defensive recalibration. The organization is betting that the fusion of Hafley’s leadership, Babich’s secondary expertise, and forthcoming new talent will forge a championship-caliber unit.
All eyes now turn to the personnel department as the NFL Scouting Combine approaches. The coaching staff’s identity is taking definitive shape. The coming months will determine if the roster can match its ambition, setting the stage for a pivotal 2026 campaign in Green Bay.
