The new-look Green Bay Packers defense has been turning heads so far in training camp, and they want to put the NFL on notice.
This new look includes additions to the defense through free agency and the draft that look to take things to the next level.
Cornerback Eric Stokes spoke to Seehafer News and shared his thoughts on the additions and where he believes the defense sits after the offseason, saying, “We’re top-flight, we’re top-flight man. We’re the best in the world, and we’re trying to be the best that we can be.”
He added, “We know that we have an elite group in the back end, and we’re going to hold ourselves to that standard.”
Green Bay used four of their first six picks in this year’s draft on defensive players.
This included Safety Javon Bullard of Georgia.
Stokes, a fellow Georgia Bulldog himself, also mentioned how excited he was to have another Bulldog joining him and Quay Walker on the defense.
Additionally, Green Bay signed Safety Xavier McKinney, who is a young and physical player ready to back up Stokes’ claims of “best in the world” when it comes to this impressive group of defensive backs.
Stokes’ confidence in this group was high, but he did not let that overshadow the hard work that they will have to put in to achieve their goals this season.
He noted, “We can’t get complacent, and we can’t fall asleep doing the same thing over and over again.”
He continued, “You have to fall in love with the grind and everything else. After that, everything else is going to handle itself.”
Another change for this defense occurred when former Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry was fired on January 24th earlier this year.
One week later his replacement, Jeff Hafley, was announced by the team.
Hafley is bringing more change for the upcoming campaign, employing a 4-3 scheme he used as Head Coach of Boston College.
The Packers have been using a 3-4 defensive scheme since 2009, but with new players, a new coordinator, and a new scheme, this Packers defense looks to take the league by storm this season.
