The Green Bay Packers just got a potential defensive superstar back

Outside linebacker/edge rusher Rashan Gary is back for the Green Bay Packers.

Nine months after tearing his ACL, the Packers have announced that Gary has been activated from the physically unable to perform list.

That means Gary will be able to start participating in practice. He's been in attendance so far during training camp but has been rehabbing off to the side.

“He’ll be off the PUP list and he’ll be out there," head coach Matt LaFleur said, per Packers News.

 It’s going to be more or less mostly individual, maybe some of the walkthrough-slash-jog through, but he’s not going to be in any team (periods).”

While it does sound like the Packers are going to take it slow with Gary, just the fact that he's back practicing with plenty of time to spare before the start of the regular season is huge. Remember, he suffered the ACL in December of 2022. The typical recovery time for an ACL injury is nine to 12 months for NFL players, so Gary's timetable was certainly on the accelerated side of the spectrum.

Either way, having Gary back is huge news for the Packers. 

At the time of his injury, Gary led the team with six sacks and 12 quarterback hits. He's been amongst the top edge rushers in football in terms of pressure for some time now, but it seemed like he was truly headed toward a breakout -- potentially Pro Bowl -- season before his injury.

Gary was selected by the Packers with the 12th pick in the 2019 draft. Though he initially sat behind Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith as a rookie, he eventually became Green Bay's premier pass rusher and defender. 

There's not a player not named Jaire Alexander that means more to the 2023 defense, so the Packers have to be thrilled that he's back.