GREEN BAY — On November 6, 2022 we saw Packers star edge rusher Rashan Gary being carted off the field in Detroit. The injury would turn out to be a torn ACL.
Without him, the Packers pass rushing struggled mightily.
Fast forward nine months later and Gary has put in the hard work to return to the field.
“I’m just taking it day by day and just trying to check boxes as I can and I’ve been checking them off,” Gary said. “I’ve been staying on track and boom, it just ended up being this time.”
One thing is for sure, Rashan Gary doesn’t take for granted the time he gets to spend time on the field.
“Like I was telling the guys, it's a complete honor,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be back on the field." My circle, my family, everybody knows what I’ve been putting into this. I also told them it means a lot, I’m also happy and excited to be back out there and everything.”
Coming back almost none months to the day since his injury, Gary was at loss for words when he was asked to describe the journey to get to this point. The Packer star edge rusher was on tear before getting hurt, he had six sacks in the first eight games.
“Words can’t express the feeling or the journey of what I’ve been through,” said Gary. For those that have been around me these couple of months and just knowing the hard work I’ve been putting in. I just want to give all my glory to god.”
One specific teammate that has helped him in this journey is cornerback Eric Stokes, who also was lost for the season in the same game in Detroit.
2023 first round pick fellow edge rusher Lukas Van Ness has already made a big impression on Gary.
“A guy that comes in everyday to work. Hungry for knowledge. As you see he goes 110 percent and sometimes I gotta tell him to slow up. He’s a guy that’s hungry and he’s learning day by day," the edge rusher said.
And Gary said he’s taking it day by day for if he’ll be ready to go for week one in Chicago.
