3 franchise-altering decisions Packers have to make this season

2. Do the Packers need to make coaching changes?

This is a question for Packers president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst. Is Matt LaFleur the right coach to lead this team into the future? The success in his first three seasons likely buys him more time. In that case, the question shifts over to LaFleur.

Even if the Packers remain confident in LaFleur, he needs to have an honest conversation about which coaches he should keep and who needs to be replaced.

Green Bay's defense is underperforming for the third consecutive season under Joe Barry's watch.

It's not a talent issue. Only three of the Packers' preferred defensive starters aren't first-round picks, former All-Pros, or Pro Bowlers. Among those three is Preston Smith, one of the Packers' biggest free-agent signings under Gutekunst.

In other words, the Packers have more than enough talent on defense. They certainly shouldn't rank 27th in the league against the run, especially after the same issues had Green Bay rank 26th in the same category last season.

Is Rich Bisaccia the right choice as special teams coordinator? The Packers have improved since 2021 but still have a bottom-half special teams unit. Green Bay is one of only five teams to allow a punt-return touchdown this season. In the last game alone, the Packers had an extra point blocked and a kickoff go out of bounds (nearly two).

Does LaFleur need to make changes to his offensive staff?

Adam Stenavich received praise for his job as offensive line coach and run game coordinator, earning a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2022. Luke Butkus replaced Stenavich as the offensive line coach, but the entire line has struggled this season. Is that on Butkus?

From the outside, there's no way of knowing. But it's on LaFleur to give an honest review of his coaching staff and to consider a significant reshuffle.