Should the Packers be concerned about Rashan Gary’s lack of production?

Rashan Gary is off to a slow start this preseason, but Packers coaches insist they aren’t worried.

Green Bay Packers first-round pick Rashan Gary was one of the more difficult players to scout during the 2019 NFL draft. He was a blue-chip high-school recruit who began his career at Michigan with much fanfare but ultimately underwhelmed during his time as a Wolverine.

Despite his overwhelming physical traits and natural athletic ability, Gary finished his collegiate career with just 9.5 sacks in three seasons. His motor ran cold at times and as a result, he was considered a risky first-round talent.

The Packers liked him enough to make him the 12th overall pick and have been playing him at outside linebacker in training camp and the preseason, something that’s come as a bit of a surprise. He was even given Clay Matthews, Jr.’s old No. 52. Talk about pressure.

Unfortunately, Gary hasn’t been creating any pressure on opposing quarterbacks or doing much of anything at all through his first two preseason games. He has zero tackles. Zero sacks. He’s been virtually invisible.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine isn’t concerned, however.

“Just teaching him the outside linebacker position, we knew that he was going to be a little bit of a work in progress. We’re teaching him all of it,” Pettine said Saturday from Lambeau Field. “There are some things he’s doing now he won’t be doing in the regular season. As we get closer, we’ll hone that down and get him in positions where he’s ready to excel.”

The question Packers fans have to consider is whether Pettine’s comments are genuine or whether they’re nothing more than coach-speak in an effort to not rattle the young first-rounder’s confidence.

Let’s face it: great players find a way to make plays even if they’re learning a new position. And it’s not like Gary needs to have a great preseason game to prove he’s ready to make an impact in 2019. He simply has to flash. And that flash can come via one sack, a tackle for loss, anything.

At this point, he hasn’t given that glimpse of upside the Packers were betting on in the first round. It’s nowhere near time to panic, but Gary has to give the coaching staff a reason to believe he can be an impact player this season in order to challenge for a significant role on defense. He has two more preseason games to do it.