Packers: 3 long-term Joe Barry replacements Matt LaFleur needs to consider

All is not well in Green Bay. The Packers find themselves near the bottom of the NFC North with a 3-6 record, just 0.5 games ahead of the dismal Chicago Bears - the team widely expected to hold the No. 1 draft pick for the Caleb Williams chase in 2024.

Since unloading superstars Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay have been on course for a rebuild, though it's been one haphazardly thrown together and filled with bizarre decisions. Trading Rasul Douglas at this year's deadline, for example, didn't make much sense.

However, the Packers can make an easier decision to help their cause: replace Joe Barry as defensive coordinator. After their latest loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the cries to fire Barry from the fanbase have grown so loud they are difficult to ignore. Pittsburgh's dismal offense sliced through Green Bay's defense, with embattled Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada looking like an All-Pro in the face of such futile resistance. Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris combined for 183 rushing yards, leaving Jordan Love with an uphill battle.

The good news is that there are a number of great defensive coordinator options for Matt LaFleur to choose from. LaFleur himself, as well as general manager Brian Gutekunst, are undoubtedly feeling the heat, too. Barry could go as a casualty and might feel he is scapegoated if fired, but the reality is that the Packers defense has underperformed to its talent level this season, leaving their young quarterback in an even tougher spot than he is.

Mike Zimmer

Hurting a rival would make hiring Mike Zimmer all the more sweeter. His exit as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings was definitely a bitter one, but it's pretty impressive that he lasted nearly a decade in Minneapolis as the man in charge. Zimmer joined the Vikes in 2014 after a wildly successful tenure under Marvin Lewis with the Cincinnati Bengals, developing talent and overseeing a fearless and aggressive defense that could make plays without taking unnecessary risks.

Zimmer would be an exciting hire for the Packers. Fans of the franchise saw up-close how Zimmer turned the Vikings defense into a fearsome juggernaut, molding players like Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter into among the league's very best players at any position. Imagine what he could do with talents like Preston Smith, Kenny Clark, and Jaire Alexander. Zimmer is the kind of coach who can take players to the next level.

Questions about his leadership or ego may be a bit overblown based on how things blew up in Minnesota at the end because there were never those concerns in Cincinnati or at the beginning of his time as Vikings head coach. He made the Vikings significantly better during his time there, and as a defensive coordinator, he could be a home-run hire for Green Bay. Certainly, he'd come with more pedigree than Joe Barry, though that statement is more about praising Zimmer than an insult to Barry. Zimmer has more pedigree than most defensive coordinator candidates.