Rashan Gary was ‘best player on the field’ during Packers minicamp
Matt LaFleur is confident he’ll be a “big-time player.” Za’Darius Smith thinks he’ll have a “dominant” season.
Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary, who emerged as a highly disruptive rusher over the second half of his second season, has the look of a truly ascending player entering Year 3.
His performance during the offseason workout program certainly didn’t damper any of the excitement.
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated said Gary, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, was the “best player on the field” during the three days of mandatory minicamp open to the media earlier this month.
“With the obvious caveat that these practices aren’t held in pads and are noncontact, the best player on the field the past three days was third-year outside linebacker Rashan Gary,” Huber wrote in his minicamp wrapup.
There were times during the 2020 season that Gary looked like the best Packers defender on the field.
He delivered seven pressures, including a sack, during a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. Over a three-game stretch featuring the final two regular-season games and the Packers’ divisional round win over the Los Angeles Rams, Gary produced 14 pressures and nine stops, earning him an “elite” grade from Pro Football Focus in two of the three games.
All that momentum from the end of last year has carried over to this offseason, creating the possibility of Gary taking another major developmental step and becoming a consistently disruptive player for the Packers defense in 2021.
“Another big leap could be in the cards,” Huber said.
The next step in Gary’s journey is training camp, which begins in late July. He looked like a vastly improved player last summer, helping fuel his eventual breakout late in 2020.
Of course, the work done in shorts and helmets during OTAs and minicamp can be deceptive. And Gary is far from a finished product.
The Packers also have two veteran edge rushers on the roster in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, potentially blocking Gary from being a true full-time player in 2021.
But all the signs are pointing to a player ready to make another jump in his third season.
“(I’m) just keeping everything full throttle from last year, not trying to slow down – not one bit,” Gary said, via Mike Spofford of the team’s official site. “I’ve still got a lot of chipping away to do before the season comes. I’m happy to get back in my lab, get back in the cave and work.”
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