Getty Linebacker Rashan Gary #52 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after a tackle against the Chicago Bears during the game at Lambeau Field on December 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Rashan Gary flew mostly under the radar during the 2019 season for the Green Bay Packers while other rookies shined brightly, but that doesn’t mean the coaching staff doesn’t have hope yet for his development within the defense.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spent some of Wednesday’s season-wrapping press conference addressing the “learning curve” for Gary in his rookie season, during which he played fewer than 24 percent of defensive snaps despite being the No. 12 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft. He recorded a sack in two separate wins and finished the season with 21 total tackles and a fumble recovery, but his production fell short of what most teams get out of their first-rounders.
“When you look at it, you had two pretty darn good players in front of him,” LaFleur told reporters Wednesday. “Any time you’ve got a first-round pick with the talent level of him, he needs to be out there (on the field), and we need to look at ways to implement him more in our scheme. And also, there’s areas that I’ve talked to him about where he needs to improve upon in order to get out on the grass and be the consistent player that we think he could be.”
Rashan Gary dip, bend, finish. That’s not something we saw a lot at Michigan but he’s shown improvement in pass rush technique this season.
Has every physical tool. If he develops his plan and technique, he can be really good.
LaFleur isn’t wrong about the talent in front of Gary. He was competing for reps with Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, who combined for nearly 30 sacks through 18 games and each played about 84 percent of defensive snaps to leave little room for other pass rushers.
The Packers also spent Gary’s first season repurposing him into an outside linebacker after he spent his collegiate career at Michigan as a true edge rusher, which naturally slowed down his progression even more. But while fans might not be satisfied with how his rookie year turned out, LaFleur and his staff remain confident they can tap into his potential without making any drastic changes.
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Packers Plan to Keep Gary at Outside Linebacker
There are a number of different avenues the Packers could explore in terms of getting Gary on the field more in 2020 — and it’s not all on their decision-making — but the idea of moving him back to the defensive line permanently is not something LaFleur is interested in doing right now.
“I think he’s got some positional flexibility, but I think his core position should be inside linebacker,” LaFleur said. “I think situationally you can kick him down inside, but to make a living down there, down in and down out, I think he’s best suited on the outside. But again, those are conversations that are coming within our staff that we have not yet had.”
The Packers were prepared to be in wait-and-see mode with Gary not only because of their intentions to convert him into an outside ‘backer but also because of an ailment leftover from his days with the Wolverines. Gary was flagged with a labrum tear in his right shoulder during the pre-draft process last and played with a brace on his right shoulder for the entire 2019 season. Fortunately, LaFleur said he did not believe surgery would be required to mend it, despite some speculation when his injury was first diagnosed.
Another offseason to learn and heal could do wonders for Gary, but it will be tough to take a patient stance with the 22-year-old if he slogs through the next season without much of an impact. The Packers are counting on him and a number of younger guys to rise to even higher levels, including cornerback Jaire Alexander (22), safety Darnell Savage Jr. (22) and Elgton Jenkins (23).
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Packers’ Matt LaFleur Demands More From OLB Rashan Gary in 2020