Joe Barry joined the Miami Dolphins as linebackers/run game coordinator in 2024. The 2025 season marks his 24th in the NFL.

Joe Barry joined the Miami Dolphins as linebackers/run game coordinator in 2024. The 2025 season marks his 24th in the NFL.

Barry has seven years of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator – three with Green Bay (2021-23), two with Washington (2015-16) and two with Detroit (2007-08) – and has been a part of coaching staffs that have helped teams rank No. 1 in overall defense three times during his career (2002 and 2005 with Tampa Bay and 2020 with the L.A. Rams). He won Super Bowl XXXVII as part of Tampa Bay's staff in 2002 and reached Super Bowl LIII as part of the Rams' staff in 2018.

Throughout his career, Barry has mentored six different players that have combined for 11 Pro Bowl appearances and eight All-Pro selections. He also coached a Hall of Fame linebacker in Derrick Brooks, helping him earn three first-team All-Pro honors (2002, 2004-05) and the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2002.

In his first season in Miami, Barry tutored linebacker Jordyn Brooks who was added prior to the 2024 season. Brooks led the team in tackles (143) while also adding 3.0 sacks, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries. His 143 tackles in 2024 were the most tackles by a Dolphins player since Zach Thomas in 2005 (165). Brooks was one of three players in the NFL to have more than 100 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and five passes defensed (Zaire Franklin, Ind.; Nick Bolton, KC). Linebacker Tyrel Dodson led all linebackers in interceptions with three despite joining the team midseason.

Prior to joining the Dolphins, Barry spent three seasons (2021-23) as Green Bay's defensive coordinator. In that span, the Packers ranked seventh in the NFL in passing defense (207.6), 11th in scoring defense (21.4) and 12th in total defense (333.3). Green Bay had 68 takeaways, tying for 13th in the league, and had 42 interceptions, tied for 12th. The Packers were penalized on defense just 101 times for 1,027 yards in those three seasons, which ranked 11th.

In 2023, Barry helped the Packers reach the postseason and win an NFC Wild Card matchup at Dallas. Green Bay ranked ninth in passing defense (206.8) and 10th in scoring defense (20.6). Defensive tackle Kenny Clark led the team with nine tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles, earning his third Pro Bowl selection.

The Packers finished sixth in the NFL in passing defense (197.0) in 2022. It was the team's fewest passing yards allowed per game since 2010. Green Bay picked off 17 passes, including 16 in the final 12 weeks of the season, which led the NFL in that span. The Packers allowed 28 points or fewer in 16 of their 17 games, tied for the most in the league. Cornerback Jaire Alexander led the team with five interceptions and earned his second Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors.

In his first season with Green Bay in 2021, Barry helped the Packers tie for sixth in interceptions (18) and finish ninth in total defense (328.2), 10th in passing defense (219.1), and tie for eighth in takeaways (26). Green Bay's 328.2 total yards allowed per game was the team's lowest since 2010 and the 26 takeaways were the team's most since 2014. The Packers won 13 games and the NFC North. Clark earned his second career Pro Bowl nod while linebacker De'Vondre Campbell earned first-team All-Pro recognition.

Prior to Green Bay, Barry spent four seasons (2017-20) with the L.A. Rams as assistant head coach/linebackers. In those four seasons, the Rams ranked second in the league in sacks (192), tied for second in takeaways (104) and interceptions (63), seventh in total defense (329.9) and ninth in scoring defense (21.5). They joined New Orleans and Pittsburgh as the only teams to rank in the top 10 in all five categories during that four-year period. Of the 192 sacks, 91 of them came from Barry's linebackers, which ranked seventh in the league in that span.

In 2020, the Rams led the NFL in both scoring defense (18.5), total defense (281.9) and passing defense (190.7). Their 53.0 sacks were second. Linebacker Leonard Floyd had a career-high 10.5 sacks in his first season with the team as the Rams won 10 games and an NFC Wild Card game.

Linebacker Cory Littleton had a career-high 134 tackles in 2019, which ranked eighth in the NFL and led the team. His 22 passes defensed from 2018-19 led all NFL linebackers during that span and was the most by a linebacker in two seasons since 2014-15, when Carolina's Luke Kuechly had 22.

In 2018, the Rams won 13 games, the NFC West and the NFC Championship, advancing to Super Bowl LIII. Littleton led the team with 125 tackles and had career highs in sacks (4.0) and interceptions (three). His 13 passes defensed led all NFL linebackers that year and were the most by a Rams linebacker in a season since at least 2000.

Barry's first season with the Rams came in 2017, when he helped the team rank fifth in takeaways (28) and fourth in sacks (48). His linebackers totaled five interceptions, tied for the most by a linebacker unit in the league. Linebacker Mark Barron tied for the NFL linebacker lead with three interceptions while linebacker Alec Ogletree was second among linebackers with 10 passes defensed. The Rams won 11 games and the NFC West.

Barry was the defensive coordinator for Washington from 2015-16. In that two-year span, the team ranked third in the league in forced fumbles (39), tied for 10th in sacks (76) and tied for 11th in takeaways (48). Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was tied for eighth in the NFL with 11.0 sacks in 2016 and linebacker Trent Murphy had a career-high nine sacks. It was the first time since 2009 the Commanders had two players register 9.0-plus sacks in the same season. Kerrigan earned the second Pro Bowl selection of his career.

In 2015, Washington tied for the league lead in forced fumbles (22) and opponent fumble recoveries (15). The team had 26 takeaways in the final 14 weeks of the season, tied for third in the league in that span. Barry improved Washington's scoring defense from 27.4 points allowed per game in 2014 to 23.7 points per game allowed in his first season as defensive coordinator.

From 2012-14, Barry was the linebackers coach for San Diego. The Chargers made the playoffs in 2013, winning an AFC Wild Card game. In 2012 and 2014, San Diego had top 10 total defenses, finishing ninth both seasons. In 2014, linebacker Demorrio Williams had two interception returns for touchdowns, becoming the first Chargers linebacker to do that in a season since 1979.

Barry spent two seasons as linebackers coach at his alma mater, Southern California, from 2010-11. He mentored linebacker Malcolm Smith in 2010, who was a seventh-round pick (242nd overall) with Seattle in 2011 and was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII for the Seahawks.

In 2009, Barry coached linebackers for Tampa Bay, his second stint with the team.

Barry's first defensive coordinator role came with Detroit from 2007-08. During those two seasons, the Lions tied for the NFL lead in forced fumbles (47) and led the league in opponent fumble recoveries (34). In 2007, the team was tied for third in the NFL with 35 takeaways and tied for ninth with 37.0 sacks.

From 2001-06, Barry coached linebackers for Tampa Bay. In that span, the Buccaneers led the NFL in passing defense (177.2) and ranked second in scoring defense (17.4), total defense (285.7) and interceptions (123). Tampa Bay posted five consecutive seasons (2001-05) with a top-10 defense, including No. 1 finishes in 2002 and 2005.

Barry spent six years coaching Derrick Brooks, who won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, was a Pro Bowl selection in all six seasons and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s. Brooks earned three first-team All-Pro honors (2002, 2004-05) working with Barry and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Barry was part of Tampa Bay's 2002 championship season, winning Super Bowl XXXVII. Brooks became the only linebacker in NFL history to return three interceptions for a touchdown that season. Linebacker Shelton Quarles earned his lone Pro Bowl selection as well.

Barry's first NFL coaching job came as a defensive quality control coach with San Francisco in 2000. He also spent a season coaching linebackers at UNLV (1999), three seasons as linebackers/defensive ends coach at Northern Arizona (1996-98), and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant/defensive line at Southern California in 1995.

Barry played linebacker at Michigan from 1989-90 before transferring to USC and lettering there from 1992-93. His father, Mike, coached more than 30 seasons in the college and pro football ranks. His father-in-law, Rod Marinelli, coached 26 years in the NFL.

A Boulder, Colorado native, he and his wife, Chris, have two daughters, Camryn and Lauren, and twin sons, Nick and Sam.