The move to a 4-3 base front defense could help Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary unlock his full potential as a pass-rusher in 2024.
After a training camp practice in which he produced sack after sack and pressure after pressure, Gary explained how putting his hand in the dirt — as opposed to standing up as a 3-4 outside linebacker — is aiding his explosiveness off the ball.
“I feel more explosive coming out of a three-point stance,” Gary said, via Bill Huber of Packers Central. “Sometimes when you’re in a two-point stance, you can create more false steps. With the hand in the dirt, the false steps are taken away.”
Firing off the ball and going full tilt at the quarterback is already paying off for Gary.
During Tuesday’s practice, Gary produced three sacks in a four-play sequence, per Huber. He beat both Rasheed Walker and Andre Dillard for pressures. A dominant win for the defense overall had the offense — players and coached included — doing pushups to end practice.
“Just being able to pin our ears back, not think and fly around,” Gary said, via Paul Bretl of ESPN La Crosse. “It’s been fun so far the first two days.”
Last season, Gary produced 9.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits and 66 total pressures over 19 games, including the postseason. He was dominant early in the season in a limited role while he worked his way back from his 2022 ACL injury. Unsurprisingly, his impact faded a bit down the stretch — likely a result of a long season’s grind following a significant injury.
Now healthy, coming off a full offseason and loving the new defensive scheme, Gary is set up for a career year in 2024.
And he isn’t the only pass-rusher enjoying what the new defense asks.
“I love having my hand in the dirt,” Lukas Van Ness said Tuesday.
