Roughly six months after Dallas traded an edge rusher to the Packers, they sent one our way in a separate deal. Instead of continuing to work with former Cowboy Micah Parsons in Green Bay, Rashan Gary will now be looking help fill the void he left in Dallas’ pass rush.
Background
Years in NFL: 7
Acquired by: Trade (2026)
A highly-touted prospect coming out of Michigan in 2019, Gary was drafted 12th overall by the Packers: Matt LaFleur’s first pick as Green Bay head coach. Despite the high drafting, Gary spent his rookie year as a backup to Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. He was in the rotation, playing in every game and logging two sacks. Gary’s workload increased in 2020, including four starts, and his production increased with it. With not quite double the snaps from the year before, he more than doubled his sack total to five and went from just three QB hits to 11.
Gary’s third year was his best to date: 9.5 sacks, 28 QB hits, and 47 pressures as a full-time starter. It motivated Green Bay to pick up his fifth-year option, but Gary’s fourth year came with a torn ACL that November. Gary was able to return and play in all 17 games in 2023, starting 13 and getting nine sacks, to help maintain Green Bay’s confidence in him. They gave him a four-year, $96 million contract extention ahead of his sixth season.
While not a double-digit sack artist, Gary’s overall play at edge in 2024 got him to his first career Pro Bowl. Even with Micah Parsons’ arrival in 2025, Gary matched the previous year’s total with 7.5 sacks and continued his strong work in run support. But all of those sacks came in Weeks 1-8, and a second-half decline put Gary’s future in question.
With the Cowboys moving to a 3-4 defense and needing experienced OLBs, they got back on the phone with the Packers. The trade was finalized on March 11th, giving Green Bay some much-needed cap space ahead of free agency, and costing Dallas a 2027 fourth-round pick. Gary reunited with longtime Packers teammate Kenny Clark while also becoming one of the veteran leaders for an otherwise young defense.
Contract Status
Years Left: 2
2026 Cap Hit: $5.7 million
Gary agreed to a true pay cut, not just a restructure, as part of his joining the Cowboys. His annual compensation dropped from $24 million to just $16, with void years worked in to further help Dallas’ salary cap. Gary is almost certainly here for the next two years, and then the Cowboys will see how things stand when he’s a 31-year-old free agent in 2028.
2026 Projections
Role: Starting OLB
Roster Chance: 100%
The Cowboys currently have more decent pass rushers than they can roster next season, but Gary already has a seat when the music stops. The top three are locks: Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and rookie Malachi Lawrence. We’ll see how things shake out between the next group of James Houston, Sam Williams, Charles Snowden, Marist Liufau, and others. But they’re all fighting for the table scraps from the top guys.
Gary projects to be on the field early and often, with his run-stopping ability a key reason why Dallas brought him in. While we may see both Ezeiruaku and Lawrence going after the QB on clear passing downs, many formations will likely find one of them playing the weak side and Gary helping set the edge on the other. Other than the 2022 injury, Gary has proven that he can handle steady work and has rarely missed time.
The big question is if Gary’s decline during the back half of 2025 was an anomaly, maybe even a side effect of Parsons’ arrival, or just the beginning of the end? He’s only 28, so there’s plenty of reason for optimism. He’s not going to show up here and be a 10-plus sack guy, which he’s never been in his career. But if he can help against the run, which Dallas missed last year after DeMarcus Lawrence’s departure, and be at least solid in the pass rush rotation, Gary can do a lot to help elevate Dallas’ defense from last season.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
