New Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has begun poaching the Green Bay Packers’ coaching staff, with Ryan Downard, the Packers’ defensive backs coach, set to join the Dolphins. Downard spent three years as the defensive backs coach for the Packers and has been with the team since 2018, when he joined as a quality control coach. He was promoted to assistant DBs coach in 2019 and then became the safeties coach in 2022 before taking on his current role.
The details of Downard’s responsibilities with the Dolphins have not been disclosed, but there is a possibility that he could be named the team’s defensive coordinator. Hafley has not yet named a defensive coordinator, and it is possible that he could still call the defensive plays for the Dolphins. Downard’s experience working with Packers defensive coordinators Joe Barry and Mike Pettine could be an asset in his new role.
The Packers will need to find a replacement for Downard, with Derrick Ansley, the team’s defensive passing game coordinator, being a potential candidate. Ansley has experience as a defensive backs coach at both the NFL and college levels, making him a strong contender to take on Downard’s duties.
It is also possible that more coaches could leave the Packers to join Hafley in Miami. Sean Duggan, the Packers’ linebackers coach, has worked with Hafley since 2019 and could be a candidate to join the Dolphins. Hafley and Duggan worked together at Ohio State, where Hafley was the co-defensive coordinator. The departure of Downard and potentially other coaches could lead to significant changes in the Packers’ coaching staff under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Overall, Hafley’s hiring of Downard is the first of potentially several moves to poach coaches from the Packers. The Dolphins are looking to build a strong coaching staff under Hafley, and the Packers will need to adapt to the loss of experienced coaches. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining the fate of the Packers’ coaching staff and the direction of the team under Gannon.