The Packers will need to replace Rashan Gary
The Green Bay Packers sustained some devastating injuries to the defense in Week 9. The team’s leader in sacks, Rashan Gary, suffered an ACL injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Gary was placed on the injured reserve Wednesday. The Packers also lost cornerback Eric Stokes in the loss to the Detroit Lions.
Those injuries were frustrating, as the Packers had arguably their best defensive performance against the Lions, holding their explosive offense to 15 points. That came with three Aaron Rodgers interceptions. The Packers added a safety to their roster Wednesday. It appears they might have designated Gary’s replacement as well this week.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Packers designated linebacker Tipa Galeai to return from the injured reserve. He was practicing with the Packers on Wednesday, starting his 21-day practice window. Galeai was placed on the injured reserve in mid-October for a hamstring injury.
Galeai might be Gary’s replacement
The Packers could use Galeai to fill in Gary’s spot once he gets the nod to return to the active roster. He only has four tackles on the year for his efforts on special teams. However, Galeai could see more action with Gary being out. He had one sack for the Packers in 2021. Galeai was graded 77.1 overall by Pro Football Focus for his 152 defensive snaps last season.
Galeai has the opportunity in practice to show he can step up in be a playmaker for the defense. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Now he’ll have the opportunity to show that he deserves more playing time on the defense besides his stable role on the special teams unit.
