Getty Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary spoke to media Wednesday for the first time since tearing his ACL last November.
Rashan Gary was forced to watch the Green Bay Packers from the sidelines for the back half of the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in Week 9, but the manner in which he has responded to his adversity — and where his priorities have lied — exemplifies how worthy he is of “Carrying the G” for the Packers.
Following June 14’s veteran minicamp practice, Gary spoke with reporters for the first time since suffering his November 6 injury and shed some light on the challenges that have come with spending so much time in recovery. While the 25-year-old said his support staff helped him take things “day-by-day” and avoid getting down on himself, he did get a little emotional when asked about how difficult it was to stay off the field.
“It really wasn’t that hard, man,” Gary said Thursday. “Like, once I got hurt, my focus, it really wasn’t on me, it wasn’t about what I was doing, it was really on this team. We had young guys, JJ [Kingsley Enagbare], he was able to get some experience, but that’s what I was thinking about, man. I wasn’t thinking about what I was going through.
Gary then choked up a bit as he added: “I was really just thinking about just letting down this team, bro, you feel me? I love these guys, love the organization, love the opportunity [and] chances that they gave me. But when I get here, I wasn’t thinking about me. I was thinking about how to help this team from where I can and what I can do.”
Rashan Gary: ‘I’ll Be Ready When I’ll Be Ready’
Gary is now a little more than seven months down the road to recovery from his ACL injury, but as far as when the Packers can expect him back on the field and if he will be ready to go for Week 1 in Chicago, the former first-rounder repeated the same answer.
“I’ll be ready when I’ll be ready,” Gary said multiple times after Thursday’s practice.
The good news is Gary is making progress. He wouldn’t say whether he is able to make cuts with his knee yet, but he did say he’s “moving around.” The most emotional part of the process, he said, was when he was able to ditch the crutches and take about three steps on his own from the treatment facility to his car with his mom, who shed a tear with him over the milestone. Now, it is just about making sure he continues to make steady progress, day-by-day, giving his all, until he is ready to return to the field.
“I’m just making sure I’m squeezing the towel as much as I can every day, making sure I’m not leaving not one inch of doubt if I pushed it to my all,” Gary said. “Just going 100 percent day by day and we’ll see where I’ll be.
Lukas Van Ness Already Impressing Packers Veterans
There is little question that Gary will reclaim his role as the Packers’ most fearsome pass rusher once he returns to the field this season, but he isn’t the only force off the edge that has been generating buzz throughout on-field offseason workouts.
Lukas Van Ness, the Packers’ No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been working with the second-team defense throughout OTAs and minicamp as he continues to work on transitioning from a college defensive end into an NFL outside linebacker. The power and athleticism he has displayed in his early showings, though, has some of his veteran teammates thinking he will be a problem for opposing offenses in 2023.
“He has a lot of power to his game [and] I think him playing inside in college really helped him out with that,” Clark said on May 23 in the midst of OTAs. “He’s a really good athlete and he can get around the edge. But his power game is going going to be good for him. I believe his speed-to-power and all that kind of stuff — once he starts, unlocking those tools and starts understanding it, he’s going to be a problem.”
