The Green Bay Packers have had a busy offseason. Despite losing the best wide receiver in football, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Packers have spent a great deal of resources addressing the defensive side of the ball. Indeed, one of the first things they did this offseason was sign defensive lineman Jarran Reed to a one-year deal. In a recent interview with Jason Wilde, Rashan Gary said that the addition of Reed is going to make the Packers’ defense “scary.”
Rashan Gary Smiled When He Heard the Packers Signed Jarran Reed
In his interview with Wilde, Gary stated, “When I saw we signed Jarran Reed, it was a big smile on my face. Just knowing our abilities and knowing our capabilities as a unit. There were some flashes going through mandatory minicamp and OTAs that we had a chance to rush together. It’s going to be scary.”
Gary and Reed Could Be an Excellent Duo
Gary is entering his fourth season in the NFL. After being drafted by the Packers in the first round in 2019, many fans criticized both him and the organization. Over the years, though, Gary has improved so much to the point that there are rumors he may get a $100 million contract when he hits free agency in two years.
In 2021, Gary led Green Bay with 9.5 sacks. Of course, those sack numbers do not tell the whole story of how effective he was. Gary also had great advance stats on defense when it came to rushing the quarterback. Last season, he had 20 hurries and 16 knockdowns. When added to his sack total, Gary ended the season with 47 quarterback pressures, which is a stat that combines sacks, hurries and knockdowns. Also of note, Gary had a missed tackling percentage of exactly 0.0% in 2021.
Reed comes to Green Bay as a six-year NFL veteran. In those six seasons, he has 24.5 sacks. His best season was easily his 2018 campaign with the Seattle Seahawks. That year, he had 10.5 sacks and 31 total pressures. Last season, which he spent with the Kansas City Chiefs, Reed had 2.5 sacks and 19 total pressures. It is notable, though, that Reed only played 64% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps. This was the lowest percentage of snaps he played in a season except for his first two seasons in the NFL. It is also noteworthy that he had just a 6.5% missed tackle percentage last season, which was the best in his career.
Matt LaFleur Raves about Jarran Reed
Gary was not the only one singing the praises of Reed. According to Wilide, Matt LaFleur also had great things to say about his new defensive lineman:
“Jarran’s a guy you can see the talent. I mean, you can see why he was, what, an early second-round pick? He definitely brings an element in terms of his ability to rush passers from the inside, which we need. You can never have enough pass rushers. [Jarran’s] got a great attitude. He’s just a fun guy to be around. He’s got great intensity out at practice, and I think he’s acclimated himself well to our system.”
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