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More Sacks: Rashan Gary or Za’Darius Smith?

Rather than specific numbers, Rashan Gary’s goal is living up to his own standards.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the ascendance of Rashan Gary, the Green Bay Packers in one sense have capably replaced Za’Darius Smith. In another way, though, they’re still trying.

With Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Gary in 2020, the Packers finished eighth in the NFL with a sack rate of 7.65 percent. With Za’Darius Smith missing most of last season with a back injury, the Packers plunged to 17th with a sack rate of 6.47 percent.

To deal with their salary-cap issues, the Packers released Za’Darius Smith this offseason. He almost returned to Baltimore, where he spent his first four seasons, before a last-minute audible led him to Green Bay’s rival, the Minnesota Vikings. That means a Week 1 showdown featuring Gary and Smith.

“Man, it’s crazy,” Smith told reporters in Minneapolis early in training camp. “I think it was 2020 when we had the COVID year and we came here and we could hear all the audibles from the offense and we could hear everything. It was basically like a cheat code. It’s a bittersweet, man, knowing that I was here a couple of years ago sacking Kirk [Cousins] and now we’re on the same team. It’s kind of crazy. It won’t happen anymore.”

Smith’s three-year, $42 million contract includes incentives for sacks in 2022 and 2023: $500,000 for 8.5, $750,000 for 10 or $1 million for 12.5-plus.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Smith’s over/under for sacks is 9.5. Gary’s over/under was 8.5 but is up to 9.5. Both players are +3000 to lead the league in sacks.

Gary had 9.5 sacks last season, a breakout season that seems to have him on the cusp of stardom. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked second among edge defenders in pressures and pass-rush win rate. Not one to rest on his laurels, Gary was probably the best player on the field during training camp.

At practice, a “sack” can be difficult to ascertain because the play keeps going so the work between quarterback, receivers and defenders can continue. Asked how many sacks he thought he had – 20? – Gary said, “I don’t know. It’s just practice, guys. I’m just working on my technique. Every day, just try to go back and pick my game. But, no, man, it’s practice. We’re just trying to get better.”

The 12th pick in 2019, Gary has gone from a rookie who barely saw the field at times to one of the top pass rushers in the NFL – the “Top 100 Players” snub notwithstanding. Last season, he had 20 more pressures than Steelers star T.J. Watt, even though Watt set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 22.5.

He’s also emerged as a leader. During a 7-minute conversation with reporters on Tuesday, the topic that most excited him was the development of the young outside linebackers behind him on the depth chart and one particular pass rush against the Saints by rookie Kingsley Enagbare. That depth will be critical at a physically demanding position. Gary, for instance, was not on the field for 398 snaps last year.

“As an outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, we set the standard in all phases,” Gary said of his message to the young contenders.

Aside from not turning enough pressures into sacks last season, Gary has set a lofty standard as he enters Year 4 as a team leader physically and emotionally. Meeting that standard, not recording a certain number of sacks, is his goal.

“I need to be my best version of myself,” he said. “That comes from my conditioning and my hands, to the way I play my run and pass. I understand my standard, so just trying to play to my standard and trying to get better than what I was last year. That’s the goal.”