Green Bay Packers: Rashan Gary deserves more snaps in week 2

Rashan Gary’s attempts were limited in the Green Bay Packers’ season opener against Chicago but he was effective and deserves more against Minnesota.

Not every fan was onboard with the Green Bay Packers selecting Rashan Gary with the 12th overall pick in the NFL draft but once you saw him on the field during offseason programs and in training camp, it was obvious as to why they fell in love with the EDGE rusher out of Michigan.

Checking into camp at 6’5″ – 278 pounds and only 10 percent body fat, the sheer size and athleticism that Gary has been touted for was evident within the first few snaps of the first practice that I attended.

However, much like his time at Michigan, Gary lacked production during the preseason when many were getting their first look at him and hoping to see some big plays from Green Bay’s 12 overall pick.

Yet, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was there to let everyone know that this was to be expected and not to worry.

During the preseason, the Packers were teaching Gary every aspect of the outside linebacker position, and a lot of it was new to him. Pettine would also add that once the regular season began, they would hone in on just a few aspects of the position and put Gary in a better position to be successful.

With the offseason additions of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith at EDGE, the Green Bay Packers have the benefit of bringing Gary along slowly, since he doesn’t have to step in right away like many first-round picks and be “the guy.”

Well, that’s exactly what Green Bay did in the season opener against Chicago as Gary would play only six snaps. However, based on his performance in that small sample size he should be given more this week against Minnesota.

Three plays, in particular, stood out from last week’s game. On Gary’s very first play we saw his bend and burst ability as he turned the corner on a speed rush and had it not been a designed quick throw by the Bears, Gary likely would have disrupted the play.

The very next play, Gary saw a gap between the tackle and the guard and he was able to show that speed again as he burst through and then knocked Kyle Long to the ground which in turn, flushed Mitch Trubisky from the pocket and led to a sack.

Gary’s final impactful play came in the fourth quarter as the Bears were threatening to score. He came on what looked like a bull-rush but jumped inside at the last second and along with Preston Smith, they were able to hit Trubisky which resulted in an underthrown ball in the end zone.

In total, Rashan Gary finished with a quarterback hit, a hurry, and an overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 76.1. As Ben Fennell pointed out above, Gary’s athleticism was on full display and he brought the disruption.

If the Green Bay Packers do decide to give Gary more snaps, they will likely come in similar situations as last Thursday, such as on obvious passing downs and it will also mean fewer snaps for Kyler Fackrell.

Fackrell was on the field for 22 defensive snaps against Chicago and had a so-so performance but he just doesn’t have the same natural abilities that Gary has to disrupt the play. With that said, Green Bay can trust Fackrell in coverage, which is something that we can’t say about Gary. So even if Fackrell does take fewer snaps overall on Sunday, he still has an important role on this Packers team.

With Minnesota coming to town, the name of the game will be getting after Kirk Cousins and forcing him to make mistakes. With a questionable offensive line unit for the Vikings – especially in pass protection – this could be another big game for the Smiths and hopefully, we see Gary get more opportunities to get in on the action as well.