It’s been 319 days since Rashan Gary tore his ACL in a brutal Green Bay Packers loss last season in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. The Packers lost much more than just the game that day. An ascending Gary was ruled out for the year, and no one ever knows if a player will return to form after a serious knee injury.
We got the answer on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Gary was an integral part of Green Bay’s stifling defense that only allowed 10 points against the Saints. Gary had three sacks that brought his total to 3.5 on the season. While that’s impressive, Gary was also questionable to even be out there at the start of the season.
The recovery time for an ACL injury can be tricky. Just look at David Bakhtiari. Gary only came off the injured reserve a few weeks before the first game. The former Michigan Wolverine was going to ease back into a more full-time role. Gary’s been on a snap count, but you’d never know from looking at his stats.
Currently, Gary is tied for 10th in total pressures, tied for sixth in total sacks, and tied for 10th in hurries. T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Micah Parsons are some of the premier edge rushers in the league ranked ahead of him in terms of total pressures. All of those guys, plus the others ranked ahead of him, have all played significantly more snaps. So they had more opportunities to pressure the QB.
Watt leads the NFL in sacks with six, and he also leads the way with a pressure rate of 12.71%. But Gary is second among these guys who have the highest pressure rate
Outside of Gary, no other Packers edge rushers are making any noise. The Packers are getting sacks and pressures from their interior. Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt are both playing soundly in the middle, while rookie Karl Brooks has been solid as well.
Preston Smith has zero sacks through three games with just one pressure. Kingsley Enagbare, Justin Hollins, and Smith have a combined two pressures and zero sacks on the season. The only bright spot outside of Gary has been Lukas Van Ness, the first-round pick.
Van Ness has been effective for Green Bay in the run and the pass. The former Iowa Hawkeye has two tackles for loss and a sack while showing off his athletic ability and hustle. Van Ness’ strong play and Smith’s lack of it is going to force Green Bay’s hands soon enough if he keeps it up.
Currently, Gary is on pace for almost 20 sacks this season. That would have beat out Nick Bosa, the NFL’s Defensive Player Of the Year last season. Bosa just signed a five-year, $170 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers that makes him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. In 2022, Bosa had 18.5 sacks. If Gary keeps up his torrid pace, he’ll eclipse that number of sacks. If the Packers don’t pay him soon, he may eclipse that dollar amount too.
Gary also isn’t at 100% yet, which offensive coordinators and tackles outside of Green Bay should fear more. He’s only played 57 snaps through three games and has three-and-a-half sacks.
Among the players who are at the top of the pressure and sack number, the one converting their snaps into sacks at the highest rate is none other than No. 52.
Green Bay’s defense needs Gary. It’s that simple. The impact he has on the defense was in full display Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. Gary’s trio of sacks was a huge reason the Packers were able to pull off the win. Gary is among the league’s best pass rushers, and he’s not even fully healthy. When Green Bay is able to unleash him to his full potential…
Watch out.
