Why Packers might need to give more snaps to OLB Rashan Gary

Preston Smith has been unproductive and ineffective to start the 2020 season. Is it Rashan Gary’s time to become a bigger part of the Packers defense?

In business, you’re either growing or you’re dying. The NFL is, after all, a business. So with a quarter of the season complete, how do the undefeated Packers keep growing?

It might start with the outside linebacker rotation, notably between Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.

It’s no secret that Preston Smith has not been as productive as he was last year. In four games, Smith has recorded one-half sack, one quarterback hit, zero tackles for loss, and eight tackles. He also has only five total pressures (four hurries, one sack) in 106 total pass-rushing snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Za’Darius Smith, for reference, has 12 pressures and was tied for the league lead in sacks at the end of Week 4.

Gary has seven pressures in three games and 58 pass-rushing snaps. According to PFF, Gary has the team’s high pass-rushing productivity in 2020 and ranks 19th in the stat among the 114 edge rushers with at least 40 pass-rushing snaps.

Meanwhile, Preston Smith, among the 49 edge rushers with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps played in 2020, ranks 47th in the NFL.

Andy Herman of Packer Report recently tweeted his grades on Preston Smith’s 2019 and 2020 seasons, and the trend is consistent with what we’re seeing:

The proposal here is to swap snaps between Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, making Gary the de facto “starter.” It’s important to note that this isn’t a one-to-one swap. As the Packers’ outside linebackers go, Preston Smith is their “best of bad options” cover guy. Kyler Fackrell occupied the coverage role well last year, but given their cap restraints and Fackrell’s ceiling, the Packers were wise to pass on a second contract. Even so, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine needs to find a way to employ some of his creative blitz schemes without sacrificing pass-rushing production from the traditional edge rushers.

Gary and Smith are also on the field quite a bit together, as Gary has the capacity to play further inside with his bigger frame. Even so, it’s time to make Gary a bigger feature of the defense as the guy who stays on the field until he needs some air, not the guy to come in and spell a starter.

There are some kinks Pettine will have to work through. Don’t expect Gary to drop. But we also shouldn’t be seeing Preston Smith dropping as much as he’s been doing. Pettine clearly has noticed the issue; his deployment of Oren Burks in an overhang/outside linebacker role – a role Burks is familiar with dating back to his time in college – tells us that Pettine is aware of the personnel’s limitation in coverage.

But if Preston Smith hasn’t been effective in coverage, and he’s being overshadowed by the player the Packers drafted to become an alpha rusher, it might be time, now in Year 2, to give Gary the keys to the car. He is a freak athletically who needs more opportunities. Preston Smith is a good outside linebacker who’s been struggling so far this year.

[lawrence-related id=51653,51624,51619]

[vertical-gallery id=51645]