The Green Bay Packers will enter training camp with a quality trio of defensive ends with Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness. Combined, they are good. Can they become great?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the Green Bay Packers’ new defensive system, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness have new positions but the same job descriptions. Last year’s outside linebackers are this year’s defensive ends, but the role remains the same. Set the edge vs. the run and sack the quarterback.Gary is coming off a typical Gary season. After missing the second half of 2022 with a torn ACL, Gary played in all 17 games and recorded nine sacks and 44 tackles in 2023.
“I think much similar to the receiving group, we feel really good about our front. When you’ve got RG and Preston and J.J. and then inside you’ve got Kenny Clark, Heavy D , Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden . There’s a lot of players there.”While Gary, Smith and Van Ness are quality players, are they legit difference-makers? Combined, they recorded 21 sacks, 53 quarterback hits and 19 tackles for losses last year. By himself, the Steelers’ T.J.
Or, maybe Gary just never will be a great finisher. He’s still chasing his first 10-sack season even while ranking third in pass-rush win rate in 2021, eighth in 2022 and 14th in 2023. Maybe Smith, the oldest player on the roster, will start slowing down. Maybe Van Ness’s second-year jump won’t be quite as big as hoped.The Packers feel good about their Top 4 of Gary, Smith, Van Ness and Enagbare.
“I really, really love those two guys,” defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich said when asked specifically about Cox and Banks. “I think they’ve matured extremely well in their period of time being here. The depth that we have, really, talks to our personnel department was able to get those guys here. I’m really looking forward to those two guys. JJ, obviously, being here and being around is a huge plus and a bonus for us. Depth is huge. We all know that, especially in this scheme and system.
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