The Green Bay Packers hope to have Rashan Gary for the start of the regular season. He took a step in the right direction after he participated in team reps for the first time since his injury during Tuesday’s practice.
It was a major milestone for Gary, who has worked tirelessly to return from an ACL tear he suffered in Week 9 of last season. However, even if Gary is available for the opener against the Chicago Bears, the Packers will count on other edge rushers to contribute on defense.
On Tuesday, Gary said that one of those players will be Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare, who has come a long way since his rookie season.
“JJ from day one when he walked in to JJ now is completely different,” Gary said. “His confidence, his understanding of schemes, and his understanding of the offensive linemen’s sets of how they want to block him and what he wants the offensive lineman to do is completely next level compared to when he came in, and I’m just happy for his progression and his growth.”
If anyone would know about Enagbare’s development over the past year, it’s Gary. After all, he had front-row seats to Enagbare being forced into a starting role as a rookie. Of course, no one expected Enagbare to replace Gary’s impact, but he exceeded expectations by finishing with the most pressures on the team over the final eight games.
Fast forward to this summer, and Enagbare has carried over the momentum from the end of last season for a potential second-year jump. He was recently praised by head coach Matt LaFleur for a “heck of a week” of joint practices against the New England Patriots, which then culminated in a standout performance during Saturday’s preseason game.
Enagbare had two sacks against New England, with the first coming on a long-arm rush to push the tackle off-balance to get to the quarterback. In the locker room afterward, Enagbare said he had planned to use power against that specific tackle after what he had learned while facing him in practice. On the second sack, Enagbare relied on his speed. Following a quick engagement with the left tackle, he dipped his shoulder and accelerated around the corner to blindside the quarterback. The unsuspecting QB fumbled the ball, which Enagbare then secured for his first-ever strip-sack and fumble recovery.
Sack No. 1
Sack No. 2
What Enagbare showed in the Patriots game is exactly what Gary described. Last year, Enagbare was somewhat limited as a pass rusher. But now, with more knowledge and understanding, he can vary his pass rush plan.
“Last year, I was kind of bull-rush, bull-rush, bull-rush, and now, knowing I can win with power and knowing how I can set things up off the power, I’m able to win in different ways,” he said.
Even though Enagbare won’t be a starter in 2023, the Packers will rotate edge rushers to keep guys fresh. As long as Enagbare can remain effective using his varied approach, he should get plenty of opportunities.
