By: Paul Bretl 7/18/2024
With Green Bay Packers training camp on the horizon, I’ll be doing a position-by-position preview. Next up is the linebacker position.
If you missed any of the previous position previews, you can find them below:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Tight ends
Wide receivers
Offensive line
Defensive tackle
Defensive end
Roster: Edgerrin Cooper, Ralen Goforth, Ty’Ron Hopper, Isaiah McDuffie, Quay Walker, Kristian Welch, Eric Wilson, Christian Young
Building relationships with the players is important to new LB coach Anthony Campanile: Campanile is highly regarded in NFL circles. He interviewed for both the Miami and New York Giants defensive coordinator openings in January, and is potential future head coaching candidate.
Campanile has been the Dolphins’ linebackers coach since 2020, coaching under two different head coaches and defensive coordinators. Prior to that, he was the linebackers coach at Michigan in 2019 and the Boston College co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach in 2018.
This past season, the Miami defense ranked seventh in yards per rush attempt allowed at just 3.8. As a group, the Dolphins defense gave up only 5.1 yards per play, the ninth-lowest average in football.
Linebacker David Long Jr. ranked sixth among his position group in 2023 in total pressures and first in PFF’s run defense grade. Jerome Baker recorded two interceptions, tied for seventh among linebackers, and held pass catchers to 7.9 yards per catch, the eighth-lowest mark among linebackers.
Many fans around the NFL got a glimpse of Campanile and his intensity when he made a passionate speech to the defense on HBO’s Hard Knocks this past season.
“I think the one thing that maybe, certainly, is in that clip that I am talking about is you are at your best when you’re doing things for people you love,” said Campanile. “That is what I do believe. I mean, you hear me saying that on that clip, I’m sure. And I think the guys who are around me every day, the players there were around me quite awhile, they’d probably be able to attest to the type of person I am and what I really do believe.
“As a coach, I think that’s our job, to be invested emotionally in the guys to try to get them better. That’s our job. These guys have all got hopes and dreams and everybody on the team trying to work in the same direction to achieve those, it’s our job to make sure we’re keeping that in perspective to get the best out of everybody and put the best product on the field.”
Packers have a group of LBs that can blitz the QB: One of the differences we will see under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is more blitzing from the linebacker position. Now, this doesn’t mean that the Packers are going to be like the Chiefs or Giants from last season–two of the most blitz-heavy defenses in football–but given what we’ve seen during OTAs and minicamp, it does look like there will be more of it.
When Hafley was at Boston College, his defense in 2023 ranked ninth out of the 14 ACC teams in blitz rate on passing plays. Instead, on early downs, he relied more heavily on the defensive front to create the disruption. But on third downs, Boston College would rank second in the conference on third-down blitz rate, which included six man pressures as well.
The Packers have a very athletic linebacker room, and a group very capable of getting after the quarterback. Out of 73 eligible linebackers last season, Walker ranked 21st in pressures and McDuffie was 15th in pass-rush win rate. Cooper was extremely disruptive in getting after the quarterback, totaling eight sacks, 27 pressures, along with 17 tackles for loss. Hopper, meanwhile, had 212 pass rush snaps over his final two years at Missouri.
“If a guy’s got a good explosive first step,” said Campanile about pressuring the quarterback, “to me, just in general, the get-off is probably the biggest part of pass rush for anybody, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some guys who’ve done a great job with that and some other guys who’ve done a great job coaching that.
“To me, it’s really those first four steps of the rush, not that first step—the relentlessness to get to the point of attack and get to the junction point with the tackle and doing a good job reading the snap of the ball and then obviously reading the set of the offensive lineman. So there’s a lot that goes into it, but he’s got really a good foundation to start there.”
Putting Walker in a position to make plays: Based on what we saw during practices this offseason, Walker is going to be the Packers’ Mike linebacker when they are in their base 4-3 defense and the signal caller in this Hafley defense. In his first two seasons, we’ve seen Walker’s playmaking ability but the next step for him is the consistency in which those splash plays happen.
As Hafley said during his introductory press conference, he wants to make sure that Walker is routinely in a position to make plays. The new system should certainly help with that, with the emphasis being on running and hitting, which is what Walker was asked to do while at Georgia.
Hafley creates digestible gameplans for his defenders to go out and execute on, however, don’t mistake digestible for simple. This is a defense that will use post-snap movement to help disguise coverages and blitz from different parts of the field to cause some chaos. The gameplans are digestible because there is a deep understanding by all 11 players about what they’re being asked to do–and why.
Good coaches – and teachers – are always mindful of what their players can learn in the allotted timeframe that they have to implement what they’re working on. Hafley can dial up the perfect defensive play call based on the situation, but if it’s not executed properly, it doesn’t matter how good the play looked on paper.
When players are confident in their fundamentals and technique and have a clear understanding of not only their role but the roles of their teammates, the gameplan can look ‘simplified’ because the end result is fast and physical play. Rather than overthinking, players are reacting and letting their natural abilities take over. As Packers’ running back coach Ben Sirmans has said, “when you think, you stink.”
Of course, any successful gameplan is going to fully utilize the strengths of each player. However, that’s just part of the equation. Putting defenders in a position to make plays on Sundays doesn’t solely revolve around where the players are asked to line up or what they’re asked to do. It begins with acute attention to the finer details and how the gameplan is taught and communicated so everyone understands the why behind it all.
“Pretty much everything, to be honest with you,” said Quay Walker when asked what stands out about Hafley’s defense. “It’s a lot of stuff that I did in college that I think translates very well for a lot of us. I think it fits what we do.
“I think not only that — I think Haf doing a great job so far of putting us in the right position. Whatever the case may be, I just think his attention to details and everything like that and how we are so far, but everything stands out about the defense because it’s similar to what I’ve done before. Not only that, but a lot of guys, as well, so I love it so far.”
Isaiah McDuffie will have a role this year, the question is how big? Due to injuries to both Walker and De’Vondre Campbell last season, McDuffie would play nearly 50 percent of the Packers’ defensive snaps. He proved to be a very sound tackler, missing only six of his 92 attempts, and was at his best against the run, flowing sideline-to-sideline and filling gaps.
“I would say so, for sure,” said McDuffie when asked if he liked what he put on tape last year. “I would say there were some things I was proud of. Going into this season, I’m holding my head high and I’m ready to continue on that path.”
In the early going of offseason programs, McDuffie has been a regular lining up next to Quay Walker. When the Packers have been in their base 4-3 defense, it has been Walker as the middle linebacker, with McDuffie and Eric Wilson alongside of him. When Cooper has been worked in, he has taken Wilson’s place.
Then, when the Packers are in nickel with only two linebackers on the field, which is the alignment that the majority of their defensive snaps are going to be played in, McDuffie has been the primary linebacker next to Walker. While depth charts in May and June may not mean a ton, as of now, McDuffie appears to be LB2.
The fact that McDuffie is seeing the starting snaps over Cooper at this stage of the offseason shouldn’t be all that surprising, given his experience not only in the NFL but also, McDuffie’s final season at Boston College was with Jeff Hafley as his head coach.
“I think any time you kind of have a headstart with knowing the guy it helps,” McDuffie said about his relationship with Hafley. “Football’s a small world, so the more people you know and relationships you build, it’s always a positive.”
A critical stretch for Edgerrin Cooper: The weeks leading up to training camp are the last time for everyone involved to recharge their batteries before the grueling NFL season begins, but for the Packers’ rookies, particularly linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, this is a “critical” five-week stretch, as Matt LaFleur put it.
“I think he’s another guy that he’s going to have to build on what he’s already put out there,” said LaFleur during minicamp. “I think these five weeks are going to be absolutely critical for him in terms of not only the mental, but the physical and making sure he’s taking care of his body.”
From the time the college football season ends to the time that the incoming rookies arrive at the team facility, there is little break for them. Many participate in Collegiate All-Star games, then they make their way to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, and there are Pro Days as well, not to mention the constant travel that comes with meeting with various teams as part of the pre-draft process.
Prospects are, of course, still training during those months, but the focus is on completing drills like the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, 3-cone, and other athletic testing events. However, there’s being in shape, and then there’s being in football shape.
“I think a lot of these guys after the draft process they’re not in the best physical condition because like Coop took a visit here,” LaFleur said. “I don’t know how many visits he had, but it’s a different style of training.
“You’re getting ready for the Combine, you’re trying to go run your fastest 40, the Underwear Olympics, if you will, and it’s different when you start playing ball. So I think this is a critical time for, in particular his case he’s got to keep building on the foundation that he’s laid and we expect him to come back even better and have a better knowledge base on what is required of him.”
Along with the physical side of things, the other part of the equation for Cooper is the mental side–specifically the playbook. As is the case for any incoming rookie, there is an adjustment to a new scheme and the speed of the NFL game.
This jump from college to the NFL is different for every player, but the linebacker position can come with a steep learning curve, given that these players are responsible for defending both the run and the pass and need to know where their teammates are going so they’re aware of any potential spacing that will need to be filled.
As LaFleur said, Cooper has laid the foundation during OTAs and minicamp. Cooper would add that the final week of OTAs and the two minicamp practices are when things started to slow down for him. But in order to build off of what he’s done and to pick up where he’s left off when training camp arrives, as the defense goes through installs a second, third, and fourth time, he’ll need to keep his nose in the playbook during the off time to maximize those reps.
“You know, just going over your rules and even drawing stuff up and writing down what each guy got, and putting the puzzles together,” said Cooper when asked what staying in the playbook looks like. “Just quizzing yourself. The thing is going from there and then going back to your notes. It’s just all putting it all in your head so it’s all second nature.”
Eric Wilson provides quality depth at the position: The Packers re-signing Wilson earlier this offseason likely flew under the radar to a degree, especially with the team bringing in Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs. However, this was a quality depth addition.
Wilson is an experienced player, having played nearly 2,300 snaps in his career, including 144 last season, utilized primarily in obvious passing situations. As Cooper gets acclimated to the new defense and NFL level, Wilson has been sharing reps with him as the Will linebacker during offseason programs when the Packers are in their base defense. In addition to what Wilson can add defensively, he’s been a core special teams contributor as well, leading the team in snaps in 2023.
“He’s a really solid defender, and he’s really good on (special) teams,” Matt LaFleur said when the team added Wilson in 2022. “We’re lucky to pick up a guy like that. He’s got a lot of versatility. He can run really well and he’s physical.”
Where does Hopper fit? If we were to build out the linebacker depth chart now, Walker, McDuffie, Cooper, and Wilson appear to be the clear top four options at linebacker for the Packers. That isn’t to say things can’t change for Hopper when the pads come on and the real evaluating takes place, but his biggest impact as a rookie could end up coming special teams.
Two reasons that the Packers drafted Hopper are the physicality and range he brings to the defensive side of the football. These are also two elements that should make him a valuable member on special teams. Of the Packers top five players in special teams snaps last season, three of them played linebacker. This is a key position when it comes to contributions in that phase of the game.
“I would say range,” said Hopper when asked what type of player he is. “I feel like I can do many different things. Mizzou put me in those positions to basically highlight different aspects of my game. So yeah, I’d basically just say range. Like I was saying earlier, I can play the run very well. I can also play the pass and being an off-the-ball blitzer and things like that, so I’d say range.”
Skill set-wise defensively, Hopper is likely a Will linebacker, who will operate in space. However, at both the safety and linebacker positions this offseason, Gutekunst was focused on versatility, getting players at both position groups who are “interchangeable,” and able to fill different roles. We will find out in training camp how much the Packers are going to put on Hopper’s plate.
“Well first of all, like we’ve talked about a lot, this is a 4-2-5 league,” said Gutekunst. “So I just think if those guys are interchangeable and they can do everything we’re asking those guys to do, it just gives you flexibility. I think if a player is limited in some form or fashion, then that can be a problem and to me, really, speed is the game.
“They gotta be able to run and I think the two guys we selected today — obviously you guys know Quay can run. We’ve gotten faster. Isaiah can run, so I really like that group and where we’re headed with that right now.”
Don’t forget about Kristian Welch when putting your roster predictions together: With the defense spending most of it’s time lined up in nickel, GM Brian Gutekunst doesn’t believe that switching to a 4-3 scheme will be a massive shift for the linebacker position. However, earlier this offseason, what he did mention is that being a 4-3 defense could require the Packers to be “a little more heavy there” on the 53-man and practice squad this upcoming season. So don’t be surprised if this is a position where the Packers go heavy and keep six.
Welch finished last season fourth on the team in special teams snaps, playing regularly across four different phases. He was also third on the team in tackles, and out of 187 eligible players league-wide, Welch ranked 39th in special teams grade from PFF.
Christian Young and Ralen Goforth: Young briefly spent time on the Packers practice squad last season but was eventually released. The team re-signed him back in April. Young went undrafted in 2023 out of Arizona, where he played safety, with most of his snaps coming in the box. He’s another player where you can see the speed he adds to the position. Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Young allowed 39 completions on 59 targets at 11.6 yards per catch with five pass breakups. He was a sound tackler and played 413 career special teams snaps.
Goforth signed with the Packers as a UDFA after this past April’s draft. He played five college seasons, with his final year coming at Washington. Goforth fits the mold of what the Packers were looking for at the linebacker position this year with some of the buzzwords from NFL Draft Bible’s profile of him being “hard-hitting” and “blitzing ability.” Goforth played nearly 500 special teams snaps in college.