As the Green Bay Packers prepare for a third installment of their NFC North rivalry with the Chicago Bears this season in Saturday's wild-card showdown, a lot of the focus will be on the health of quarterback Jordan Love and how he performs. However, the defense remains in the spotlight as well after struggling immensely down the stretch following the season-ending torn ACL to star pass rusher Micah Parsons.
That appeared to pave the way for veteran Rashan Gary to prove himself on a stacked defensive front, but that has clearly not happened. After starting the season with 7.5 sacks, 24 total tackles, and seven tackles for loss, Gary has mostly disappeared in the last nine games with just 21 total tackles, zero tackles for loss, and zero sacks.
Even more pressure was put on Gary following rookie Barryn Sorrell's breakout performance in the team's Week 18 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. As Green Bay rested its starters, it gave players like Sorrell one last opportunity to showcase their talents ahead of the playoffs. According to USA Today's Ryan Wood, it sounds like defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley liked what he saw from the rookie. "I certainly think what he did puts him in consideration for playing in the playoffs."
Sorrell Deserves Additional Playing Time After Breakout Performance
Sorrell only has 15 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, and one fumble recovery this season. That didn't stop the 2025 fourth-rounder from delivering his best performance in Week 18 with eight tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. Gary, Kingsley Enagbare, and Lukas Van Ness are the primary pass rushers with Parsons sidelined, but Sorrell's improved play suggests he could be in the running for the fourth spot on the defensive front and compete for some additional snaps.
Before Week 18, Sorrell was only averaging 10.5 snaps in 12 games and had only recorded four pressures on 86 total pass-rushing snaps. It was difficult to truly gauge Sorrell's performance due to his lack of playing time. The Week 18 breakout shows what he can do when given the increased snaps, though, especially compared to someone like Gary, who has not had a tackle for loss since Week 7 and has seen his snap count drop considerably down the stretch.
Sorrell previously flashed his potential after receiving double-digit snaps in the first meeting against the Bears and responding well to the uptick in playing time. It may have taken him a while to get going, but his latest performance suggests he is more than capable of making an impact in the playoffs. Gary's recent struggles only add fuel to that and could lead to more opportunities for the rookie on Saturday and beyond.
There is no guarantee that Gary will even return to the Packers, so it is unclear what his future holds beyond this season. With that said, he has not played well enough lately, regardless of his status, while Sorrell finally put everything together in Week 18. Hafley did not confirm anything, but there is no reason for him not to increase Sorrell's snap count on Saturday night.