Late in 2016, then-rookie defensive lineman Kenny Clark started coming on as a playmaker for the Green Bay Packers defense. He wasn’t yet a dominant player down-to-down, but he flashed the occasional disruptive ability that eventually helped turn him into one of the NFL’s best interior linemen.
First-round pick Rashan Gary could be following a similar path during his rookie season.
Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said Gary, who had one sack in his first 13 games, is trending in the right direction after playing his best game of the year during Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears. The Packers’ top pick tallied his second sack of the season late in the first half when he blew past the Bears right tackle and chased down Mitchell Trubisky.
“He did some good things. I was glad to see he got some production as well,” Pettine said Friday. “I just know he’s been working real hard with coach (Mike) Smith, a lot of things outside of his normal drill work, his get-off, his stance, his pad level, just little technical things that he’s trying to clean up and trying to find the right combination for himself.”
Slowly, Gary is positioning himself to be an important player for the Packers defense down the stretch, especially if he keeps gradually improving.
“He’s getting better at the right time,” Pettine said.
Rashan Gary's second sack of the season pic.twitter.com/wZaxsOgLdK
— Jack Wepfer (@jackwepfer) December 18, 2019
Clark did the same as a 21-year-old rookie in 2016. Mostly quiet for the first three months of the year, Clark produced four quarterback hits over the final six regular-season games before breaking out with two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss during the Packers’ playoff win over the New York Giants in the NFC Wildcard Round.
Barring injury, Gary isn’t going to be anything close to a full-time player, but Pettine knows how important he is to the defense’s rotation at outside linebacker, especially considering how often top rusher Za’Darius Smith is used at different spots across the defensive front.
Gary or Kyler Fackrell often come on the field in obvious passing downs.
“It’s good to see him get the production, and he’s a big part of that rotation. Preston (Smith) and Z, we don’t want to put the whole game on them. To have guys like Kyler and Rashan, to have that four-man rotation,” Pettine said.
Gary played 18 snaps against the Bears, tallying three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
The Packers are approaching the final stretch of the 2019 season with a chance to clinch the NFC North and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. This time of year, teams don’t get better from the outside. They improve from within. And few young players look more capable of taking a step and producing in a meaningful way than Gary, who – despite a slow start – keeps progressing in his development as an edge rusher.
The rookie rusher might not take over games down the stretch, but just a few more flashes – like the flashes Clark provided during the playoff run in 2016 – could make a big difference for the Packers defense as the postseason nears.