Packers expected to hire highly sought-after linebackers coach Anthony Campanile and switch to a 4-3 defense

GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley completed the transformation of their assistant coaching staff with a hire that will help them transition to a 4-3 defense.

Former Miami Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile is expected to join Hafley as run game coordinator/linebackers coach, a source said Tuesday. The well-respected Campanile interviewed for the New York Giants defensive coordinator position and was being pursued by the Philadelphia Eagles for a position on former Dolphins coordinator Vic Fangio’s staff.

Campanile has ties to Rutgers where Hafley coached in 2011 before joining longtime Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano in Tampa Bay. Campanile played safety and linebacker at Rutgers and was part of Schiano’s first recruiting class.

Campanile’s hiring is another step in the coaching transition Hafley is making to install a 4-3 defense, another source said.

Gone are defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti and passing game coordinator Greg Williams.

Hafley has moved outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich to the defensive line, where he will oversee the group’s transition to a four-man front. Campanile will coach the three linebackers who play in the base defense as well as coordinate the run scheme.

Vince Oghobaase, whom Hafley is bringing with him from Boston College, will be the assistant defensive line coach.

Current defensive backs coach Ryan Downard will stay in his current position. Hafley probably will add more assistant position or quality control coaches.

LaFleur wanted more energy on defense, one of the sources said, and he'll get that with Campanile and Oghobaase. Rebrovich was one of the most animated of any of the coaches on defense − second maybe only to Barry − so Hafley will have three high-strung, spirited assistants to ramp up the energy on that side of the ball.

The Packers already have players who can more easily switch to a 4-3

The switch to a 4-3 defense will change some roles within the defense, but it shouldn't mean the Packers will have to overhaul their personnel and add specific types of players. All of the Packers top three outside linebackers − Preston Smith, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness − are around 270 pounds. Kingsley Enagbare, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered against Dallas in the playoffs, is 260 pounds.

In the base defense, the Packers are likely to move Quay Walker to the weak-side position, where he'll be able to roam the field more and receive protection against blocks from his four teammates upfront. It should allow Walker to be play more freely than he did as one of the two inside linebackers in the 3-4.

The Packers should be able to incorporate Isaiah McDuffie as one of the linebackers in the base defense, but will probably seek to draft someone younger to fill veteran De'Vondre Campbell's position. McDuffie played for Hafley at Boston College and could wind up having a significant role in the defense.

As for the front, the Packers are in good shape with Kenny Clark, T.J. Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden. It's possible Clark, Brooks and Wooden could fill defensive end positions on early downs if the Packers are playing a run-heavy opponent.

Jeff Hafley has experience using several different schemes

At Boston College, Hafley ran a 4-3 defense, but he has also used 3-4 concepts during his career. At Ohio State, he and co-coordinator Greg Mattison ran an aggressive scheme with a considerable amount of blitzing, so he is able to use different means to defend an offense.

Under Barry, the Packers played a considerable amount of four-man fronts because they played so much nickel defense, which replaces a defensive linemen with a defensive back. But how the linemen and linebackers are positioned and the rules for covering gaps and rushing the passer could change.

Campanile will play a big role in directing those changes.

After coaching tight ends and then wide receivers at Rutgers, Campanile went on to Boston College and coached defensive backs (2016-’17) and served as co-defensive coordinator (2018). He then spent one year coaching linebackers at Michigan, which happened to be the same year (2019) that Hafley was co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Campanile has been Miami’s linebackers coach since 2020. His replacement, according to NFL Network, will be Joe Barry, the man that Hafley replaced in becoming defensive coordinator. The Dolphins agreed to let Campanile go after interviewing him for their open coordinator’s job and then choosing Baltimore Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver.