3. Rashan Gary, OLB
Packers rookie outside linebacker Rashan Gary didn’t have any splash plays against the Texans in his NFL debut, but he showed flashes of why he was selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. Gary played 32 snaps, 16 from the right side of the line of scrimmage and 16 from the left side, but didn’t finish with any tackles, sacks or quarterback hits.
That’s okay, though, because Gary wasn’t asked to do a lot. The schemes in the preseason are somewhat simplistic, especially for a rookie making their NFL debut. Teams don’t like to reveal too much before the actual season starts, so we have to take performances with a grain of salt. That said, Gary will need to refine his hand combat and overall rush plan if he’s to improve his game.
With the first-team defense set to play about one quarter against the Ravens in Preseason Week 2, it’ll be interesting to see how many snaps Gary garners during that time period. Gary has spent plenty of time going against second-team offensive linemen throughout training camp, much to the chagrin of said linemen. Many have been no match for the Packers’ 2019 first-rounder.
If the Packers really want to see what they have in Gary before the season starts they’ll let him play 10-12 snaps per game with the first-team defense the rest of the preseason.