Jonathan Gannon Has So Far Been a Great Hire by the Green Bay Packers

Jonathan Gannon struggled as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He went 15-36 in three seasons, which "earned" him a winning percentage of .294.

That's not good. Not good, at all.

And yet, the Cardinals have seriously struggled as a franchise since 2010. They've made the playoffs just three times in that stretch, and they haven't made the dance once since 2021.

Gannon was bad in Arizona, but perhaps it wasn't all his fault. In fact, a strong case can be made that he suffered because of the institution more than anything.

Those three years also made it tough to remember just how much of a rising-star coach Gannon was during his stretch as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022.

In those two seasons, he helped Philly lead the league in sacks with 99 and rank No. 3 in total defense and passing defense. During that stretch, they gave up just 315.1 yards per game and 200.4 yards per game through the air. His defense in 2022 notched 70 sacks, which was a franchise record. That defense also recorded 27 takeaways, including 17 interceptions. 

Though they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, those Eagles played in Super Bowl LVII.

Gannon was a star defensive coordinator, without any doubt, and through six games with the Green Bay Packers, he's showing he has what it takes as a play-caller to get back to that level.

The Packers are currently ranked 10th in the NFL in total defense, giving up just 307.7 yards per game. They're ranked sixth in passing defense, giving up just 193.3 yards per game through the air. They're also tied for the league lead in takeaways (with the Seattle Seahawks) with 11.

This includes a Sunday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys that saw the Packers pick Dak Prescott off twice and completely shut down the wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

“J.G. calling that s–t up right now,” cornerback Keisean Nixon said after the contest, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “He dialing it up and we’re playing ball.”

Keep in mind, the Packers have been doing this without Micah Parsons, who is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in December of last season. They're also doing it without superstar linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (Achilles) and veteran Javon Hargrave (Achilles), who were both lost for the season.

Players have stepped up all over the board, though. Lukas Van Ness has 3.5 sacks so far this season after notching 4.5 in 2024 and 2025 combined. Safeties Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney have combined for five interceptions (three from the former All-Pro, McKinney). Nixon has played great ball himself, with an interception and four passes broken up on the season. Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse has been starting from the jump and he looks the part of a competent NFL cornerback.

Veteran linebacker Zaire Franklin has replaced Quay Walker and has brought a ton of edge and fire to the defense. They're playing confident, they're not backing down, and they're not afraid to talk a little bit of smack along the way. It's an attitude we haven't seen from a Green Bay defense in quite some time.

“I think we got everything we need on all three levels,” Franklin said. “I think when we playing our best ball, I think we definitely one of the best units in the league.”

The numbers would agree, and that's a credit to Gannon.