The Green Bay Packers are entering the 2023 season with a lot of question marks on their roster. Players are stepping into expanded roles for the first time in their careers, which could lead to some bumps in the road in the early going.
All eyes will be on how Jordan Love reacts to being the starter for the first time in his career. He has some big shoes to fill taking over for the legendary Aaron Rodgers and will have pressure to perform right away. Not only is he replacing a future Hall of Famer, Love already signed an extension and there is pressure built-in for being a first-round pick.
How Love plays is the most important thing to the Packers’ level of success in 2023. However, there are other important players on the team. Dalton Wasserman of PFF recently put together a piece about the most important non-quarterbacks on each team’s roster.
For the Packers, his selection was none other than pass rusher, Rashan Gary. Gary may not be in the lineup for Week 1 as he recovers from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 9 last season against the Detroit Lions. But, he has proven to be an integral part of the team’s success.
With Gary in the lineup, the Packers had a pass rush grade of 77, which was tied for sixth-best in the NFL. Without him, that grade plummeted to 62, which was the sixth-worst mark in the league from Week 10 on.
“Gary has become an elite player over the past two seasons. His 90.1 overall grade in that span ranks sixth among all edge defenders. He is an elite pass rusher and Green Bay’s best run defender, the latter of which was sorely missed when he was out of the lineup. The Packers will have to win with their defense and running game this year, and Gary will be at the forefront of any team success.”
Missing a player of that caliber is always going to hurt a team. The Packers felt Gary’s loss after his ACL tear as their production across the board decreased. Their need for a pass rusher is a major one, which is why Green Bay used a first-round pick on defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness.
Van Ness will certainly bolster the team’s pass rush, as they were unable to consistently create pressure without Gary. Despite playing in only nine games, he was second on the team last season with 6.0 sacks behind only Preston Smith, who had 8.5.