Green Bay Packers Fire DC Barry, Strength Coach Gizzi

There are a lot of decisions to be made every offseason for each NFL franchise, and the Green Bay Packers have already begun to make some moves just days removed from a hard-fought loss in the NFC Divisional round.

The Packers lost in heartbreaking fashion to the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers on Saturday Night, and on Wednesday the team began to make changes to their staff.

The big decision and first big domino to fall this offseason had to do with defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

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Barry's units have underperformed consistently during his three-year tenure as Packers DC, and now, he is out of a job.

Barry and the Packers defense ranked 17th in yards per game allowed, 10th in points per game allowed, and 23rd in takeaways this past season.

The numbers aren't terrible, but they're not good enough. Especially with the caliber of players and the investment via the draft the Packers have made recently on the defensive side. Green Bay has taken a defensive player with a first-round selection in 10 of the last 12 drafts.

It's the end of a tough era of Packers defensive football:

LaFleur will be on his third defensive coordinator in six seasons when he hires a replacement for Barry, who had one year left on his contract. Barry had been the Packers' defensive coordinator since replacing Mike Pettine in 2021.

In addition to the move to let go of Joe Barry, the Packers have also reportedly parted ways with Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Gizzi:

On Wednesday, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Silverstein broke the news that the Green Bay Packers have moved on from strength and conditioning coordinator Chris Gizzi.

It's a couple of notable moves for the Packers, who finished the season at 9-8 and made a fun and historic playoff run.

The Packers have extremely high hopes for the near and long-term future, as it appears that they have their answer at Quarterback, and now will search for a top-tier DC to lead the defense moving forward.

Sources: Acme Packing Company - Gizzi and ESPN.com