Packers: Rashan Gary will be key piece in Week 1 vs. Bears

Even after dishing out lots of cash for both Preston and Za’Darius Smith, the Green Bay Packers still wanted to add to their front seven by drafting Rashan Gary 12th overall.

Against the Chicago Bears, Gary will get a good opportunity to prove he’s worth it. The former Michigan linebacker did not have particularly stunning stats during his time with the Wolverines, but the Packers evidently saw enough in Gary to justify taking him so high in the draft.

His role in the defense will be a bit difficult to find early on with the two new edge rushers already in the fold, but Gary has himself plenty of time to find his niche.

However, a big reason the Packers drafted Gary was to help contain mobile quarterbacks. While Kirk Cousins and Matt Stafford aren’t particularly imposing with their legs, Mitch Trubisky certainly is. The Packers have not done a good job of keeping Trubisky contained in their previous matchups with the former Tar Heel, but Gary’s rare speed on the edge should be a big step in the right direction in that department.

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The Packers’ best front line looks to be both Smiths, Kenny Clark, Gary, and Dean Lowry. But with so much uncertainty and underwhelming play at the middle linebacker position, the Packers cannot afford to commit too many defenders into the backfield.

Against the Bears, the Packers might well take their chances with Jaire Alexander and Tramon Williams against Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, but stopping the rush of the Bears will be crucial.

Gary and the rest of the front will be challenged by the read-option and quarterback keepers that the Bears have become proficient at. With Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, the Packers finally have the talent and athleticism on the backend to focus on winning the game up front. With Blake Martinez ill-equipped to run with the shifty Tarik Cohen, Gary will be forced to be the X-factor in the Green Bay defense.

The Packers appear to match up rather well with the Bears to start the season. Za’Darius and Preston Smith might finally provide a consistent rush off the edge, while Gary can prevent some schematically orchestrated plays featuring Cohen and Trubisky from developing.

Given the speed of the Bears’ defense, this figures to be a potentially low-scoring game. The showing from the Packers’ first-team defense in the first half of the preseason game against the Ravens was far from encouraging, but there is no denying that there is an abundance of talent throughout the unit.

Gary has boom or bust written all over him. The Bears, Thursday night, will be his first real test. The Packers have a tough opening foe on the road, but their much improved defense might just be up to the challenge.