Brian Gutekunst probably couldn't believe his luck when Jerry Jones called and offered a fourth-round pick for Rashan Gary.
It immediately became the Green Bay Packers' best offseason move, and the deal looks better and better by the week.
Gary's production declined sharply in the second half of last season. Worse still, many began to question his effort after he seemed to slow down or, to put it more bluntly, give up on plays. Packers legend Mason Crosby called it "inexcusable." He was right.
That's why a fourth-round pick felt absurd, especially as the Packers likely would've had to release Gary if they couldn't find a trade destination.
Five games into the Dallas Cowboys' season, the same red flags in Gary's performances are showing up again.
Rashan Gary's effort is once again a concern after five games with the Dallas Cowboys
Effort. It's once again an issue, just as the Packers experienced last season. The Cowboys' upset loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football highlighted Gary's performance.
"There are the three veterans on this defense – Rashan Gary, very good player, Kenny Clark, very good player, Quinnen Williams, very good, highly-paid player – that their effort isn't good enough," ESPN's Dan Orlovsky said on Get Up.
One such play was on Bucky Irving's 72-yard run. Gary initially keeps contain, as he should have, but as Irving cuts inside, Gary simply jogs in his direction.
Where was the commitment? The effort? Maybe Gary wouldn't have gotten there in time to make a tackle, but he didn't even give himself a chance.
Turn on Green Bay's tape from last season, and you'll see countless examples. He famously jogged toward Bo Nix in the game against the Denver Broncos, with Micah Parsons sprinting past him to make a pressure.
It became infuriating to watch, especially after the Packers lost Parsons and needed their other pass rushers to step up.
And his production suffered as a result. Gary recorded 7.5 sacks in the opening seven games last season, immediately benefiting from Parsons' arrival. After that? Zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, and just eight quarterback hits in the remaining 10 games, including the Packers' playoff defeat.
He's off to a disappointing start in Dallas.
According to Pro Football Reference, Gary has just one sack in five games, and his five pressures rank 68th in the NFL. He has the same number of pressures as Packers safety Evan Williams, despite playing an extra game.
Gary has been even more disappointing against the run – his PFF run defense grade ranks 90th among 110 edge defenders.
Packers' decision to keep Lukas Van Ness over Rashan Gary is paying off
Green Bay made two big calls this past offseason. One was moving on from Gary, the other was to pick up Lukas Van Ness' fifth-year option. I'll hold my hands up: I was skeptical of the decision to tack on an additional year to Van Ness' rookie contract.
So far, so good. He's outperforming Gary in almost every metric.
Lukas Van Ness vs. Rashan Gary
Stat | Lukas Van Ness | Rashan Gary |
|---|---|---|
Sacks | 2.5 | 1 |
Pressures | 8 | 5 |
Hurries | 2 | 2 |
QB knockdowns | 3 | 2 |
Stats according to Pro Football Reference.
And remember, Gary has played a game more than Van Ness after the Cowboys opened Week 5 on Thursday Night Football.
Van Ness is finally beginning to reach his potential in Green Bay, which is an exciting prospect with Parsons' return inching closer.
Gary has one sack in his past 15 NFL games. That's not far off an entire regular-season sample size.
A lack of production is one thing, but effort is another. As Mason Crosby said last season, it's inexcusable. The Packers experienced it last season, and the Cowboys are learning a harsh lesson about why giving away a fourth-round pick probably wasn't the best idea.
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