Latest news with #RashanGary
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Packers' Rashan Gary must be more disruptive to regain status as one of NFL's top edge rushers
While a first-time Pro Bowler in 2024, Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary did not finish among the top 10 players in ESPN's preseason rankings of edge rushers compiled by Jeremy Fowler. In fact, Gary wasn't even an honorable mention despite receiving votes. Fowler spoke with coaches, executives and scouts to rank players at every position. Not surprisingly, Gary failed to gain recognition as a top player after a solid but far from spectacular 2024 season. Gary produced 7.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits and 47 pressures across 416 pass-rushing snaps last season. In 2023, Gary had 9.0 sacks, 22 quarterback hits and 60 pressures on 384 pass-rushing snaps, so his production dipped rather significantly last season, even if Gary was an effective run-stopping defensive end in Year 1 in Jeff Hafley's defense. At Pro Football Focus, Gary's pass-rushing grade has fallen each of the last three seasons. He was at his best in 2021, when he created a career-best 81 pressures, 9.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits. While a solid all-around edge rusher, Gary will need to be far more disruptive as a pass-rusher to regain his status as one of the NFL's best. Can Gary rediscover his pass-rushing capabilities as a second-year player in Hafley's defense? The Packers need more from everyone up front in 2025, including Gary, to improve as a pass-rushing unit. Top 10 edge rushers via ESPN
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Green Bay Packers advised to sign three-time Pro Bowl defender
The Green Bay Packers didn't have much to complain about last season. Their offense ranked eighth in scoring, and the defense took another step forward too, allowing the sixth-fewest points in the NFL. But as any coach will tell you, what happened last year doesn't matter now that a new season is around the corner. While Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has worked hard to upgrade the roster, some NFL analysts still believe there is room for improvement. Advertisement Specifically, Bleacher Report's Matt Holder believes the Packers should sign three-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney. 'Lukas Van Ness hasn't lived up to his predraft billing so far, yet he's scheduled to be the Packers' starting defensive end opposite Rashan Gary this season. It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Packers to add Clowney to create competition for Van Ness during training camp.' Bleacher Report on Jadeveon Clowney to Green Bay Packers Clowney was set to play a second season with the Carolina Panthers, but they released him earlier this summer. Now the former No. 1 overall pick is seeking his seventh NFL team. Yet, he's still productive. Last season, he recorded 5.5 sacks across 14 starts. That may not be top-tier production, but it's clear that Clowney can still get sacks. Plus, there's always the chance that he has a bounceback season, like when he had 9.5 sacks in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens. Clowney, 32, will eventually find a new home before the season starts, and the Packers would be a good fit for everyone involved. Advertisement Related: NFL defense rankings 2025: Evaluating all 32 defenses Related Headlines
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers Named Possible Landing Spot For Former No. 1 Overall Pick
Packers Named Possible Landing Spot For Former No. 1 Overall Pick originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The pressure is on the Green Bay Packers' pass rush to produce more consistent results in 2025. While Green Bay finished with 45 sacks last season, 20 of them came in just three games — including seven against a struggling Tennessee Titans offensive line. Beyond the inflated totals, the underlying metrics were concerning: The Packers ranked 27th in pass-rush win rate, and Rashan Gary, who led the team in pressures, fell short of the 50-pressure mark. Advertisement General Manager Brian Gutekunst made some moves this offseason to strengthen the trenches, drafting edge rushers Barryn Sorrell and Colin Olliver, along with interior lineman Warren Brinson. However, the absence of a high-profile free agent acquisition signals the organization's trust in Jeff Hafley and DeMarcus Covington to get the most out of the defensive line. Still, Green Bay should look for other alternatives. Just look at how the Philadelphia Eagles built a dominant pass rush rotation on their way to a dominant Super Bowl win against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bleacher Report's Matt Holder believes adding a former No. 1 overall pick to their defensive front would be a smart way for Green Bay to create competition for one of their first-rounders. Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (7) during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium.© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images "Lukas Van Ness hasn't lived up to his predraft billing so far, yet he's scheduled to be the Packers' starting defensive end opposite Rashan Gary this season," Holder wrote. "It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Packers to add Clowney to create competition for Van Ness during training camp." Advertisement Jadeveon Clowney has appeared in 12 or more games in five of the past six seasons. Last year, he tallied 44 pressures and 5.5 sacks with the Carolina Panthers—stats that would rank him just behind Rashan Gary as Green Bay's second-most productive pass rusher. "You're always looking. With pass rushers, you can never have enough," Brian Gutekunst said after the 2024 season. "I thought there were times this year we did that, we were able to rush with four men. Every team in the league, that's how you'd prefer to do it, rush with four and affect the quarterback with four. There were periods of times where we didn't do that well enough, everybody understands that. That affects your football team." Green Bay is placing its trust in internal development, which makes sense considering the significant investments they made upfront. Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary carry huge contracts, while Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt are first-round picks from just three and two years ago, respectively. Still, as Matt Holder pointed out, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add more competition—at least for training camp and preseason—to help elevate the group even further. Related: Packers Predicted To Trade 1,700-Yard Playmaker During 2025 Season This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Low ranking highlights challenge ahead for DeMarcus Covington and Packers DL
The Green Bay Packers likely need to improve along the defensive front to be truly Super Bowl caliber in 2025. In PFF's ranking of the NFL's defensive lines entering this season, the Packers ranked 24th out of 32 teams -- highlighting the challenge ahead for new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington and all the first-round picks assembled up front in Green Bay. The Packers didn't add anything significant via free agency or the draft and are confident they have the right talent along the defensive line to be great. It'll be up to Covington -- who is replacing fired assistant Jason Rebrovich -- and his development of young players entering Year 2 in Jeff Hafley's defense to power improvement and prove the decision-makers right. Defensive line play is so important in today's NFL. Great defenses must be able to disrupt the opposing quarterback, and the best of the best can consistently pressure the quarterback with only four rushers. Too often last season, the Packers were unable to pressure the top quarterbacks or consistently get home with just four, which required more blitzing and more pressure placed on the coverage behind the defensive line. PFF's Zoltan Buday pointed to a few concerning realities for the Packers: Rashan Gary's overall grade has fallen during each of the last three seasons, and Kenny Clark is coming off arguably his worst season as a pro. From Buday: "Edge defender Rashan Gary's PFF overall grade has declined in three straight seasons since his career-best 2021 campaign, and he ranked only 49th among edge defenders with a 66.7 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024. Interior defender Kenny Clark will turn 30 during the 2025 season and has already shown signs of decline in recent seasons. He ranked 53rd among interior defenders with a 60.0 PFF overall grade last season." The counterargument: Gary was still a good player in 2024, even if he didn't produce elite pass-rushing numbers, and Clark dealt with a season-long foot injury that required surgery earlier this year. But the Packers still need more from each Pro Bowler in 2025. The Packers are also banking on 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt becoming a dominant player inside and 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness giving Gary a capable and disruptive partner at edge rusher. Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby are back after playing roles for the Packers defense in 2024. In terms of additions, the Packers drafted true defensive end Barynn Sorrell in the fourth round and subpackage pass-rusher Collin Oliver in the fifth round in April, providing more developmental options. Can the Packers take a big step in 2025? There's no doubting the investment made in the defensive line -- four former first-round picks are going to play leading roles for Hafley and Covington, and the Packers have recent draft picks developing behind the expected starters both on the edge and inside. Internal development will determine if the Packers improve along the defensive line or if PFF's ranking -- 24th out of 32 teams -- ends up predicting a fatal flaw for Matt LaFleur's team.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards: Meet the spring athlete nominees
The Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards, presented by Piggly Wiggly, is proud to announce player of the year nominees for the spring sports season. The winners will be announced during the live show June 20 at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay. The guest speaker is Green Bay Packers star Rashan Gary. Advertisement The event is produced with the support of Cellcom and Prevea Health. During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with player of the year nominees and winners from the fall and spring sports seasons. The fall nominees have been announced and can be found here. The winter nominees have also been announced and can be found here. The show will also announce the winners of our premier awards, which includes boys athlete of the year, girls athlete of the year, boys team of the year, girls team of the year, coach of the year and our Courage Award recipient. Nominated athletes who RSVP for the event will receive a free ticket thanks to our sponsors. Additional tickets also are free this year courtesy of Prevea Health. Tickets can be obtained here. Advertisement More: Find complete prep sports coverage on our Varsity page The Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. The Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards, Presented by Piggly Wiggly, is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program. The show will recognize prep athletes, coaches and teams in the Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids markets for their achievements during the 2024-25 school year. Here are the spring nominees: Baseball Jack Anzelmo, Kimberly High School Braylon Brantner, Hortonville High School Christian Collins, Notre Dame Academy Sawyer Deering, Kimberly High School Aiden Humphreys, Wrightstown High School Peyton Juckem, Chilton High School Cole O'Brien, D.C. Everest High School Cade Prestigiacomo, Appleton East High School Xavier Salzman, Seymour High School Brett Simonsen, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School Brayden Steinbecker, Manitowoc Lincoln High School Trevor Vande Hey, Wrightstown High School Boys golf Thomas Bobinski, Notre Dame Academy Carter Broten, De Pere High School Austin Dobbe, Winneconne High School Russell Harder, Wausau West High School Tyler Hoffmann, St. Mary's Springs Academy Tucker Johnson, Neillsville High School Sawyer Krambs, Wausau East High School Karsen Kruse, Bay Port High School Ryder Miller, Sheboygan North High School Ted Schlindwein, Wausau East High School Vince Sigl, Seymour High School Tre Wienke, Sturgeon Bay High School Boys lacrosse Malik Andrews, Wausau Jackson Brown, Neenah High School Tristan Dean, Appleton United Isaac Dietrich, Bay Port High School Aiden Eckes, Appleton United Sam Galang, Wausau Drew Green, Neenah High School Jonas Johnson, Oneida Nation High School Ty Laabs, Neenah High School Reid Lindenberg, Kimberly High School Cody Thoresen, Kimberly High School Hunter Weinke, Neenah High School Girls lacrosse Talia Bellotti, Appleton United Emily Bill, Notre Dame Academy Gabi Heuser, Wausau Maria Imhoff, Wausau Lilly Lyons, Bay Port High School Viviana Orr, Bay Port High School Grace Peters, De Pere High School Quinn Rice, Wausau Rae Schoultz, Neenah High School Emily Stichman, Neenah High School Lillian Vande Corput, Neenah High School Josalyn White, Notre Dame Academy Girls soccer Amelia Castleberg, Stevens Point Area Senior High Brinley Dunsirn, Appleton North High School Cora Erickson, Cedar Grove-Belgium High School Annika Heimann, Xavier High School Ava Hopper, D.C. Everest High School Kalli Knowles, Plymouth High School Emily Urban, Kimberly High School Marissa VanDeHei, West De Pere High School Faith Walder, West De Pere High School Mia Wasco, Neenah High School Anna Willis, St. Mary's Springs Academy Brenna Wilson, Kimberly High School Softball Paige Bodenheimer, Kaukauna High School Claire Calmes, Wausau West High School Megan Hochkammer, Valders High School Katie Geydoshek, Green Bay Preble High School Berritt Herr, Ashwaubenon High School Addison Kluck, D.C. Everest High School Peyton Mancl, Pacelli High School Karly Meredith, Kaukauna High School Kiran Sanford, Mishicot High School Sydney Spear, D.C. Everest High School Addison Wery, Seymour High School Kailie Westphal, Waupun High School Boys tennis Wesley Auth, Saint Mary Catholic High School Yosef Edsell, Oshkosh West High School Kole Stauffacher, Oshkosh West High School Gianni Frausto, Plymouth High School Cavin Baltus, Plymouth High School Luke Grassl, Neenah High School Henry Farrell, Neenah High School Carl Hein, Neenah High School Kegan McDonough, De Pere High School Tudor Cristescu, De Pere High School Aiden Meixl, Kimberly High School Colin Meixl, Kimberly High School Brady Ryan, Kohler High School Dylan Grueneberg, Kohler High School Alex Thomas, Notre Dame Academy Cale Vogel, Appleton West High School Truman Vogel, Appleton West High School Andrew Werner, Neenah High School Brady Lawatsch, Neenah High School Boys track & field Andrew Cartier, De Pere High School Brody Feldmann, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah High School James Flanigan, Notre Dame Academy Connor Fontaine, De Pere High School Joseph Hunt, Notre Dame Academy Ben Lemirand, West De Pere High School Owen Lencki, Waupaca High School Grady Lenn, De Pere High School Chris Marcell, Marathon High School Jamare Scott, Oshkosh North High School Hunter Sprangers, Kimberly High School Grant Wenzelow, Winneconne High School Girls track & field Eva Brooks, Lena/St. Thomas Tessa Campbell, Manitowoc Lincoln High School Celia Gentile, Neenah High School Maci Heise, Wausau West High School Claire Helmila, Freedom High School Lydia Hofacker, Shiocton High School Thea Kral, Ashwaubenon High School Lydia Merrick, Freedom High School Zuzanna Mosienska, Little Chute High School Erin Moore, Lourdes Academy Sydnee Nelson, Oshkosh West High School Bella Thomas, Assumption High School This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Northeast Wisconsin sports awards reveals spring athlete nominees
