Rashan Gary Is Poised To Reintroduce Himself In A Dream Matchup

The highly anticipated changing of the guard that brought Jeff Hafley in — and, more importantly, sent Joe Barry packing — is off to an encouraging start.

In Week 1, the Green Bay Packers defense put up a reasonable performance on a Brazilian slip-and-slide. They contained Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts while struggling with Philly’s zone running scheme. However, they dominated Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, and the Indianapolis Colts last week en route to a much-needed first victory.

E-ticket free agent Xavier McKinney is off to a hot start, securing an interception in the first two games from the free safety position. However, heading into Nashville for Week 3, expect to see a more familiar face or two re-introduced in dominating fashion.

It has been an interesting couple of weeks for the Tennesee Titans. They’re 2-0 in many alternate universes, but we live in one where Will Levis’ mania in the pocket has marred his offense with costly turnovers. From reckless backward flings to post-interception cobra poses, Levis’ start to 2024 has had a little bit of everything -- much to the chagrin of head coach Brian Callahan, who has struggled to hide his exasperation. Poor pass protection has led to turnovers, headlined by right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who has allowed 11 pressures and has arguably been the league’s worst protector.

Enter Rashan Gary.

Gary got on the board in Week 1, dropping Hurts for a thunderous sack. However, he and fellow decorated edge rusher Preston Smith have put in work containing mobile quarterbacks. They’ve done an excellent job, limiting Hurts and Richardson to 33 and 37 yards on the ground, respectively. Both amassed significantly more rushing yards in their other matchups. Levis can definitely move, but he’s no dual-threat quarterback, nor is significant mobility built into Callahan’s system. That means it’s time for Gary and Smith to pin their ears back and wreak havoc in the backfield.

How much the Packers will ask of their defense on Sunday remains to be seen because Jordan Love’s status remains uncertain. Things seem to be progressing ahead of schedule and appear much better than initial indications when he went down in Brazil. If Malik Willis is back under center for a revenge game (even if he refuses to call it that), Matt LaFleur will likely try to put him back in that rocking chair, holding the ball and pounding it down the throats of Dennard Wilson’s defense. If Love is back, that will surely flip the moneyline, which has Tennessee listed as 2.5-point favorites. The star QB’s return would also set up a positive game script that would allow the defensive line to go to work as pass rushers.

Hafley has already demonstrated a stronger affinity for the blitz than Barry ever did, and the game-planning transition from elite rushing quarterbacks to a more standard passer is poised to open up that part of the playbook, particularly after seeing some of the decision-making that pressure-induced in the last couple of weeks. That could mean a big day for rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who showed some explosion as a blitzer in Week 1. The more one-on-one matchups Hafley can create for Gary, particularly opposite Petit-Frere, the more damage Gary can do.

Second-year edge rusher Lukas Van Ness is another player to watch. After Green Bay took him 13th overall in last year’s draft, Van Ness had a relatively quiet rookie year in terms of playing time and output. However, the Packers have had him on the same type of developmental track as Gary, who played sparingly behind Preston and Za’Darius Smith in his first couple of years. Many people on social media noticed Kingsley Enagbare appearing to have the edge over Van Ness in the rotation. However, this soft matchup could present the ideal situation to unleash Van Ness.

It has been a rocky start to the Levis-Callahan era in Nashville, and it won’t get any easier on Sunday. Tennesee’s weaknesses are clear, and they’ll be lining up across from a hungry pair of pass rushers who have been patiently waiting for a pocket passer to feast on. The linebacker group will have their hands full with the two-headed backfield of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Still, it’s hard to imagine that Rashan Gary makes Jaire Alexander and the secondary cover Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins for too long. Expect Gary to remind the league that he belongs in all the edge-rusher conversations on Sunday.