The Green Bay Packers are hoping that emerging star pass rusher Rashan Gary can return the form that he showed in 2022 in 2023. He was playing at a high level before tearing his ACL in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, sitting inside the top 10 of multiple pass-rushing statistics.
His presence was certainly missed as the Packers’ pass rush fell off a cliff without him. To put into perspective how anemic it was, Rashan Gary played in nine games and had 6.0 sacks; that was enough for second on the team, as Preston Smith led the way with 8.5.
Heading into the 2023 season, the pass-rushing group was a concern. However, those worries have been quelled in training camp and the preseason. The Packers can now possibly consider the pass-rushing room a strength, not a weakness, as the depth around Rashan Gary has been improved drastically.
Everything points toward him being able to have a big season leading the way for Green Bay. That is exactly what Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes will happen as well.
Ballentine has made a bold prediction about Rashan Gary for the 2023 season. He believes the emerging star is going to have double-digit sacks for the first time in his career, recording at least 12 in the upcoming campaign.
With the improved supporting cast, a breakout of that magnitude is certainly possible. This offseason the team added Lukas Van Ness with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Undrafted free agent Brenton Cox Jr. was productive in college but was kicked out of the programs at Georgia and Florida. The Packers took a chance on him and it paid off as he performed well enough to make the 53-man roster.
Justin Hollins remains a steady producer and JJ Enagbare looks primed to take a second-year leap. That is a lot of talent, which will enable the Packers to bring Rashan Gary along slowly in his rehab. There will be zero pressure to speed things up with the group Green Bay now has.
It will no longer be a one-man show rushing the passer, which should make things easier for Rashan Gary as well. That, and his form looking good in practice, has people excited about the kind of production that the Michigan product can provide.
