There may not be a player more important to the Green Bay Packers defense in 2023 than pass rusher Rashan Gary. The impact that he can have on a game was felt last season, as he was in the midst of a breakout campaign before suffering a torn ACL in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions.
Rashan Gary was in the top 10 of numerous pass-rushing stats before the injury, including having 6.0 sacks. Without him in the lineup, the Packers’ pass-rushing production fell off a cliff. For some context into how poor it was, he finished second on the team in sacks behind only Preston Smith, who had 8.5.
Heading into the 2023 season, this area of the defense no longer looks like a weakness for the Packers. Smith and fellow veteran Justin Hollins have been joined by emerging second-year player JJ Enagbare, rookie first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and undrafted free agent rookie Brenton Cox Jr. to make a formidable pass-rushing group.
That depth will enable the Packers to take things slow with Rashan Gary as he continues working his way back in his ACL rehab. The team plans to have him on a pitch count early in the season, which is doable because of how well the other players looked in training camp and the preseason.
Once he is ready for a full allotment of snaps, Green Bay is hoping that the Michigan product picks right up where he left off before the injury. One person who believes that will occur is Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
Patra recently put together a piece highlighting one potential first-time Pro Bowler from each team in the NFC. For the Packers, his selection was none other than Rashan Gary.
“The former first-round pick was on his way to making the Pro Bowl last year before injury struck, ending his season after nine games. In that span, he was dominant, ranking fifth among edge defenders with 38 pressures, per PFF, and he posted six sacks. Gary is a bully off the edge who can wreck the backfield. He recorded 25 stops prior to his injury, second most in the NFL over the first nine weeks. It’s asking a lot to return to form immediately, but if he picks up where he left off, the Packers’ vital pass rusher will be in for a big campaign.”
There is some added motivation for Rashan Gary because he is playing out the fifth-year option on his rookie contract as well. There hasn’t been much discussion about a long-term deal being worked out, but if he continues his dominance, his price tag is only going to increase.
