Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Rookies to watch

Rashan Gary, EDGE

Like Savage, Rashan Gary was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft as part of the recent defensive overhaul that the Packers have been doing. As the 12th overall pick, expectations are high for Gary to make an immediate impact this season.

Packer fans may have been concerned with what they saw (or didn’t see) from Gary in his first career game or two, as he played just six snaps in his NFL debut, and failed to record a stat in each of his first two games.

However, last week Gary saw the field quite a bit more (36% of defensive snaps compared to 22% and 8% the two weeks prior), and showed what he is capable of on defense. In 26 snaps last week against the Broncos, Gary recorded his first career sack, recovered a fumble, and combined for four tackles on the day.

Last Sunday was a glimpse of the potential bright future that Gary has in this defense once he becomes more and more comfortable with his role. When the Packers selected Gary in this year’s draft, many people questioned where he would fit in Pettine’s 3-4 defense.

Weighing just under 300 lbs coming out of Michigan where he played defensive end or even farther inside the defensive line, Gary has been asked to play outside linebacker for the Packers. So after spending most of his prior experience with his hand on the ground, it will probably take a while for Gary to get comfortable in his new position, and Green Bay will likely ease him into action more and more as time goes on.

The Eagles have allowed seven sacks to this point on the season, so if Gary does get the chance to see the field for a decent amount of time tonight, he should have a few chances to get to the quarterback and make a play. Eagles tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are two of the best in the league, so Packers edge rushers will have their work cut out for them, but it is a good possibility that they’ll be able to impact the game by pressuring Wentz tonight.