Packers: Rasul Douglas named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Arizona Cardinals must watch Rasul Douglas play for the Green Bay Packers and wonder, ‘how did we let him go?’

The Packers signed Douglas from the Cardinals’ practice squad back in October. Yes, the practice squad. He hadn’t even played a snap for Arizona in 2021. By signing with the Packers, Douglas was joining his fourth team of the year.

But he’s been an outstanding signing for Green Bay.

First, he made his former team pay by intercepting Kyler Murray in the end zone to give the Packers’ a last-second victory over the Cardinals.

This past week he had his best game of the season and deservedly won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Not only did Douglas start the game, but he played on every defensive snap. With Kevin King unavailable due to injury, Green Bay needed to count on Douglas to play a big role against the Los Angeles Rams.

And he sure did, making a season-high four pass defenses, while also intercepting Matthew Stafford and returning it 33 yards for a touchdown. It was one of the plays of the game and all but sealed a convincing win for the Packers against an NFC rival.

General manager Brian Gutekunst deserves a lot of praise for the additions he’s made to the roster over the past few months.

He signed De’Vondre Campbell during the summer, and he’s been arguably the best inside linebacker in football. Another player the Cardinals likely regret moving on from.

Gutekunst then traded for punter Corey Bojorquez, who has been a significant upgrade on JK Scott and turned the punting game into a strength of the Packers’ special teams.

Douglas, too, has proven to be a home-run addition to the roster. He’s put in solid performances each game he’s played, while also making two of the Packers’ biggest defensive plays of the season.