The Year of Hafley

By: Josh Frey-Sam

This is what buy-in looks like.

The ball carrier is Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels, one of the most dangerous dual-threats in the NFL.

This snapshot is of — count ‘em up — NINE Green Bay Packers in pursuit of him at the end of the third quarter of the Packers’ dominant 27-18 victory over the Commanders on Thursday night.

Believe me when I tell you this moment is a coach’s dream.

It’s also a perfect example of what’s been nothing short of a masterclass by defensive co-ordinator Jeff Hafley to begin the 2025-26 campaign, and why there’s no doubt in my mind that he will be a coveted man for a head coaching gig next off-season.

Remember how the Detroit Lions have bullied teams up and down the field for the last few years?

Hafley’s unit gave them a taste of their own medicine, holding the Lions’ offence to 246 total yards and one (garbage time) touchdown in Week 1.

Their most dangerous threat, Jahmyr Gibbs, had 19 touches for 50 yards.

How about the Commanders, who went on a Cinderella-like run to the NFC Championship on the back of a potent offensive attack led by Daniels?

The Packers did one better, containing them to 230 total yards while swarming Daniels any time he even thought about taking off.

The Commanders’ quarterback, who set the single-season record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback last season, had seven carries for 17 yards.

“Relentless,” head coach Matt LaFleur described his defence’s performance through two games.

“Just physical, aggressive, attacking — the play style is exactly what we want from these guys.”

For those who don’t know much about Hafley, he’s a 46-year-old New Jersey native who already has head coaching experience. After working his way up the college ranks, he got his first NFL opportunity in 2012 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an assistant defensive backs coach.

He continued to coach DBs in Tampa Bay and then Cleveland, and really raised his stock when working with the DBs in San Francisco for three seasons under Robert Saleh. A successful one-year stint at Ohio State as a co-defensive co-ordinator led Hafley to a head coaching position in 2020 at Boston College, where he spent three seasons before being scooped up by the Packers.

While covering CFL training camp earlier this year, I noticed that Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Jaiden Woodbey had played for the Eagles in college during Hafley’s tenure, so I asked him about his time under Hafley’s tutelage.

Woodbey didn’t offer up much beyond a succinct response:

“He’s smart,” he said.

What’s ironic is that was one of the first words LaFleur used to describe Hafley after hiring him last season, and it was the characteristic most evident to me when I heard him speak for the first time.

Don’t believe me? Listen to one of his pressers for yourself. He’s as pure as a football guy comes, and he oozes head coaching material.

Hafley has this unit buzzing, and those who paid attention know this is just a continuation of last year.

For the first five years of Matt LaFleur’s tenure, the defence was the Achilles heel of his team.

Hafley stepped in last year and changed the narrative, creating a top-10 unit that feasted on turnovers (finishing third with 33).

Now this is a defence that is already showing it is skilled enough to match up with anyone, while Hafley is proving he can go toe-to-toe with any play-caller in the league.

I’m a fan who tries really hard not to jump to conclusions, especially when it comes to my Packers, but I watched it for an entire season and now I’ve witnessed it at an even higher level through eight quarters this year…

I’m going to enjoy Jeff Hafley because I know I won’t have him for long.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh