When Rashan Gary was drafted in 2019, there was little space for him to grow and play. The Green Bay Packers had just signed Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith in free agency, and they truly played the majority of the snaps. Each one was on the field for 83% of the defensive plays.

Now, though, the approach has been different—and it doesn't make any sense. While there isn't as much depth at the position, the Packers have simply given significantly fewer snaps for their top guys.

Even being completely healthy throughout the 2024 season and a full season removed from his ACL injury, Gary was on the field for only 58.68% of the defensive snaps. It's fine if you think Gary isn't an elite player or even if your perception is that he isn't worth his contract extension. But Gary is obviously much better than what the Packers have otherwise, and taking the best player of the unit off the field so frequently is hindering the front four's ability to impact games.

Comparison with his peers

In 2024, Rashan Gary played less than 60% of the snaps in the games he was active in. Comparing that to other top edge rushers in the NFL and you can see how weird the Packers' approach is.

Myles Garrett (76%), Nick Bosa (78%), Micah Parsons returning from injury (82%), and Maxx Crosby (97% and ok, that's too much) all played much more frequently for their teams. Even rotational players who will hit free agency, like Josh Sweat (63%) and Chase Young (63%) had higher snap percentages than Gary.

The Packers like to rotate players to keep them fresh, but at some point it's just too much. They are blocking their best pieces to make more impact and putting inarguably worse players on the field instead.

Packers approach

Top 2 edge snap count

• 2019: Za'Darius Smith (83.85%) and Preston Smith (83.65%)
• 2020: Za'Darius Smith (83.54%) and Preston Smith (79.26%)
• 2021: Preston Smith (63.86%) and Rashan Gary (63.11%)
• 2022: Preston Smith (79.86%) and Kingsley Enagbare (45.01%)
• 2023: Preston Smith (65.89%) and Rashan Gary (52.84%)
• 2024: Rashan Gary (58.68%) and Kingsley Enagbare (46.92%)

In the first two years of the Smith Bros, the Packers used them a lot. That's why Gary had minimal impact during his first two seasons in the NFL. But when Za'Darius got hurt and missed most of the 2021 season, the Packers changed their approach and never went back to that.

Both with Joe Barry and Jeff Hafley, the rotation is heavy. Sure, you could understand fewer snaps for Gary in 2023 because he was slowly getting back from injury early in the season. But it never came back to normal.

The Packers are paying Rashan Gary $24 million a year after his extension. He's been a relatively productive player, but his volume numbers are never that eye-catching. And that's in part because, well, the Packers don't give him a chance to get real volume.

In 2024, Rashan Gary was on the field for 639 defensive snaps. Kingsley Enagbare (511), Lukas Van Ness (428), Brenton Cox (160), and Arron Mosby (150). Green Bay would want to develop Van Ness, and Cox shows impressive signs after the Packers moved on from Preston Smith, so you understand their share. But Mosby and especially Enagbare are having too many snaps, and it's time to give them to Gary.

Even in the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Rashan Gary played only 53% of the defensive snaps. It's ok to protect your best players eventually, but at some point they have to play. Or else, what's the point of having them?

3 edge rushers that would be cheaper for the Packers than Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, but still have a big impact

There are some intriguing options