Dolphins add former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry to coaching staff

Joe Barry will join Anthony Weaver’s staff as the Miami Dolphins linebackers coach and run-game coordinator. #FinsUp

Joe Barry’s tenure with the Green Bay Packers may have ended abruptly at season’s end, but his wait to land with another NFL team didn’t take long.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Barry will join the Dolphins‘ defensive coaching staff as the team’s linebackers coach and run-game coordinator. This was the first move that new Dolphins’ defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver made to his coaching staff.

Barry, 53, began coaching in the NFL back in 2000 as the San Francisco 49ers‘ defensive quality control coach. From there, he became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ linebackers coach, where he eventually earned a Super Bowl ring. Most recently, Barry was the assistant head coach and linebackers coach of the Los Angeles Rams (2017-2020) before becoming the Packers defensive coordinator in 2021. He was relieved of his duties on January 24th, 2024, after leading one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL over the last few seasons.

(NOTE;. He was with the Rams when Brandon Staley and Co. created the ‘star’ position for Jalen Ramsey)

Here’s an excerpt on Joe Barry from our friends over at Acme Packing Company!

According to Pro Football Reference, the Packers allowed 4.7 yards per carry over Barry’s three seasons in Green Bay, just shy of the Los Angeles Chargers’ league-leading 4.8 yards per carry mark over this period. It’s worth noting here that over these three years, the Chargers were led by head coach Brandon Staley, who was previously the defensive coordinator whom Barry worked as a linebackers coach for with the Los Angeles Rams.

Adding an experienced coach like Barry to Weaver’s staff should give Miami’s new DC someone to rely on with previous defensive coordinator experience. It also provides the Dolphins with an experienced linebackers coach with a history of developing players — which, I have to be honest, the more research I do, the more excited I get about the Barry signing.

However, with Barry taking over as the team’s linebackers coach, the writing was on the wall for Anthony Campanile, who once again missed out on Miami’s defensive coordinator vacancy. He will now look to land on a coaching staff in need of a linebackers coach.

What are your thoughts on the Joe Barry hiring? Can he get the most out of young players like Channing Tindall and company? Which linebackers do you like most in free agency and the draft? Let us know in the comments section below.