Joe Barry‘s run at the helm of Green Bay’s defense came to an end this year, but he has quickly landed a new NFL coaching position. Barry is set to join the Dolphins as their linebackers coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
This agreement will also include the title of run game coordinator, Pelissero adds. Barry will return to a familiar role on Miami’s staff, having served as LBs coach at the college level as well as during his time with the Buccaneers, Chargers, and Rams. Those stints have alternated with his three defensive coordinator tenures.
Barry guided the Lions’ defense from 2007-08, served as the Commanders’ DC from 2015-16, then took charge of the Packers for the past three seasons. Green Bay ranked ninth in yards allowed in his first season at the helm, but the team put up middling numbers in multiple categories after that. The unit rarely lived up to expectations in the eyes of many given the draft investments made by the Packers in recent years. In spite of that, head coach Matt LaFleur gave Barry repeated endorsements.
Once the Packers’ run to the divisional round came to an end, however, Barry was fired with term remaining on his contract. That created a vacancy in Green Bay – which has since been filled with former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley after the team explored a deal with new Ravens DC Zach Orr – and left Barry in search of a new employer. The 53-year-old was connected to one DC opening (that of the Bears), and he interviewed with Chicago before the team ultimately went with Eric Washington for the position.
In Miami, Barry will partner with new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver as the Dolphins look to move forward from Vic Fangio‘s one-and-done tenure. The team ranked seventh against the run in 2023, and Barry will aim to continue that success in his new role. Incumbent LBs coach Anthony Campanile, meanwhile, will not be returning in 2024, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Campanile interviewed for the Dolphins’ DC gig before Weaver’s hire, but he did not land the position. He will now head elsewhere as the 2024 hiring cycle continues.
