Packers: Who is new offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich?
The Green Bay Packers have promoted offensive line coach and run game coordinator Adam Stenavich to fill their vacant offensive coordinator position.
Former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, now the head coach of the Denver Broncos, wanted Stenavich to follow him to Denver, but the Packers denied the interview request, per Mike Klis of 9News.
Many Packer fans will recognize Stenavich’s name, and maybe even his role within the team, but not many are familiar of his prior coaching experience.
According to Sports Illustrated, Stenavich began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan. He then secured a job as an offensive line coach at Northern Arizona in 2014.
At Northern Arizona, Stenavich helped the Lumberjacks secure a 7-5 record. He helped senior running back Casey Jahn earn first-team All-Big Sky honors, becoming just the 12th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
His stellar work at Northern Arizona helped him land a role as an offensive line coach at San Jose State, where he coached from 2015-2016. San Jose State struggled while Stenavich was there, amassing just a 9-12 record. However, in 2015, the team found significant success on the ground, with former Packer special teams hero Tyler Ervin amassing 1,601 rushing yards on 294 carries.
His work at San Jose State was enough to earn him his NFL breakthrough. The San Francisco 49ers hired him to be their assistant offensive line coach in 2017 and 2018. Stenavich contributed to the Niners’ success on the ground during that time period. Specifically, the stellar work of the Niners’ offensive line helped lead to the 2018 breakout of running back Matt Breida, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry that season.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur hired Stenavich to be the offensive line coach in 2019. Stenavich has excelled in his role in Green Bay, earning the title of the team’s running game coordinator.
In 2020, Stenavich was the coach of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. However, his best work may have been during 2021.
Despite losing 2020 All-Pro center Corey Linsley to free agency, All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, rookie center Josh Myers, and star utility-man Elgton Jenkins to injuries, the Packers still had a very good offensive line. Per ESPN, the Packers had the fifth best pass block win rate (66%) and fourth best rush block win rate (73%) in the NFL.
LaFleur and the Packers hope that promoting Stenavich will help the Packers realize the full potential of star running back duo Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Hackett left behind some big shoes to fill, but it’s likely that the Packers have been grooming Stenavich to be his replacement for some time now, and hopefully, if all goes well, the transition between coordinators will be a smooth one for Green Bay.