There has never been more of an emphasis on getting pressure on the opposing quarterback than there is in today’s NFL. Every franchise is searching for the next superstar to plug in on its defensive line.
Green Bay has one of the best in outside linebacker Rashan Gary. His timeline for 2023 is murky at the moment, coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 9 last season and starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Gary holds the key to Green Bay’s defense — and the potentially fate of defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
Gary was off to a tremendous start in 2022. The former Michigan product had amassed 32 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and six sacks in just eight games and part of the ninth last year before suffering his season-ending knee injury in Detroit.
Gary was on his way to an eye-popping season for him as an individual player, and it became apparent just how important he is to the successes of the defense.
The Packers ranked second in pressure percentage in Weeks 1-9 with Gary playing the star role in 2022. Without Gary in the lineup, the Packers were No. 28 in the league in that same category.
If you’d like to be showered with another dose of reality, consider this: Preston Smith played in all 17 games for Green Bay in 2022. He led the team in sacks with 8.5. That’s just 2.5 more than Gary racked up while playing in half the season. The production drop-off with Gary out of the lineup is almost as big of an eyesore as watching Barry have the cornerbacks play 15 yards off the line of scrimmage on a third-and-five.
Gary’s presence up front is massive for Green Bay’s fortunes. The domino effect he has is just as critical.
Getting home on the quarterback, or at least generating pressure, leads to quicker decisions having to be made by whoever is under center. Cornerback Jaire Alexander is as good as it gets. You know what makes him even better? When he doesn’t have to chase opposing wide receivers around for an extended period of time because the Packers can’t make life uncomfortable for an opposing quarterback.
Gary’s consistency trickles down to the other layers of the defense.
Whether or not Gary will be ready for Week 1 in Chicago remains unknown. Whether or not Green Bay would want him playing on that swamp of a field coming off a knee injury, even if he is deemed ready, is another discussion.
The options behind Gary aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they lack the consistent burst and production Gary brings.
Second-year outside linebacker Kingsley Enagbare performed admirably filling in for Gary last season. Enagbare’s ceiling remains unknown, as does whether or not he can find consistency in an advanced role. Veteran Justin Hollins was a good re-sign for the Packers. Hollins can provide jolts in spurts but isn’t someone who’s starting all 17 games and coming close to what Gary can do. Then there’s rookie Lukas Van Ness. The first-round pick has all the potential in the world but isn’t a guarantee.
And then there’s the Barry factor.
The defensive coordinator, who had two previous gigs in Detroit and Washington with the same title that went miserably, should be on the hottest of seats.
Green Bay has selected a defensive player with 12 of its last 13 first-round picks. Eight still remain on the team. Despite that, the Packers’ defense has been fairly underwhelming under Barry for large stretches of his tenure.
The scheme can be questioned, the lack of aggressiveness can be talked about for days. What can’t be stopped, even with Barry’s play calling, is Gary’s dominance. There’s no grand blueprint that has to be laid out for Gary under Barry. It’s simple: Just get to the quarterback. Not even Barry can mess that up.
In the grand scheme of things, Barry needs Gary on the field for Green Bay to be at its best, but also for Barry to have his best shot at displaying what this defense can be.
Gary’s absence was felt in 2022 when he went down and there were no mincing of words by head coach Matt LaFleur at the time.
“It’s a tremendous loss,” LaFleur said following Gary’s injury. “Not only from the production standpoint. He is a guy who competes at the highest level. He’s one of the grittiest guys on this team. The effort he brings on a daily basis will definitely be missed.”
With a new season on the horizon and training camp starting up on Wednesday, there are plenty of question marks surrounding Green Bay. Many of them exist on the offensive side of the ball. One item that is clear is that it’s Gary who holds the key to the defense and perhaps Barry’s fate.
