GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mike McCarthy has three remaining veteran assistant coaches on defense, and they'll all get a shot a Dom Capers' old job.

The Green Bay Packers coach said Thursday that Winston Moss, Darren Perry and Joe Whitt all would get interviews to replace Capers as defensive coordinator. Capers was fired on Monday after the Packers finished 7-9 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

McCarthy also said external candidates would be considered, but did not specify whether they had to be based in a 3-4 system that the Packers have run since Capers was hired in 2009.

"The defense needs to be better than the offense," McCarthy said. "I mean, that has to happen. So you've got four ways to do it. You get player acquisition, player instruction, player finance -- who you pay to build your roster -- and player performance.

"I mean, there's so many things out there that we can advance in as far as analytics, more science, we have a strong history of developing young players, maximizing their abilities. But we can always get better, and that's really where I'm at with it. So the defense, we need to, we need to be better."

Though Moss, Perry and Whitt all are under contract for next season, they're not guaranteed jobs if they don't get the coordinator position.

"Philosophically, I think it's important for the coordinator to be involved in the hiring of every assistant coach," McCarthy said. "I know when I was coordinator, if the assistant coaches that you may not have been part of, that can cause some situations that are totally unnecessary, and sometimes that's avoidable, too. You've got to be realistic about the coaching industry and the mark of coaches with what's going on right now, too. But preferably you like to have the coordinator involved in hiring all the assistants."

Here's a look at the internal candidates for the job:

• Moss: The 53-year-old former NFL linebacker is the longest-tenured member of the defensive staff. He came in with McCarthy in 2006. He has coached linebackers in both a 4-3 and 3-4 scheme. He interviewed Thursday for the Detroit Lions head coaching job, but indications are the Packers might move on from Moss even if he doesn't get another job.

• Perry: The 49-year-old former NFL safety has deep ties to Capers and his 3-4 scheme; he played for the Steelers when Capers was the defensive coordinator and came to Green Bay with Capers. He has coached Pro Bowlers Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Nick Collins.

• Whitt: The 39-year-old son of a longtime Auburn assistant coach came to the Packers in 2008, the year before Capers was hired. He's credited with developing undrafted free agents Tramon Williams and Sam Shields into top-tier cornerbacks.

There's change coming to the structure of the offensive staff, too. Although McCarthy said he would continue to call plays, the job of offensive coordinator will be redefined or eliminated. McCarthy said Edgar Bennett, who served as a non-play-calling coordinator the past three years, will not return in that role, or possibly not at all. Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt also won't return after his contract expired and he wanted to pursue other opportunities.

"I'm in conversations with Edgar currently," McCarthy said. "We're going to make some adjustments to our offensive coordinator position, so currently working through that. That's kind of the state of the coaching staff."

Offensive line coach James Campen, the longest-tenured member of the entire coaching staff, could be in line for a promotion, but McCarthy also wouldn't rule out former Packers offensive assistants who have left in recent years. That would seem to include Joe Philbin and Ben McAdoo.

"I think that's natural, but it needs to fit with who's here," McCarthy said. "I mean, the foundation of who's here is what we're going to build off of. It's established, it works. We need to be better. So everybody that's added to our staff, there will be a fit element."

McCarthy also said he has a role in the search for a new general manager to replace Ted Thompson.