Thursday Cheese Curds: Rashan Gary getting ready for a crucial fourth season

The “develop” portion of the Packers’ draft and develop philosophy hasn’t always come to pass, even for some of their most promising rookies.

Before he was unceremoniously shipped to Cleveland (for DeShone Kizer, no less), Damarious Randall had flashed some potential in the Packers’ secondary. But he was never able to build on that foundation, and thus found himself traded and then shuffled around what felt like most of the rest of the league.

Predecessors like Datone Jones and Nick Perry likewise looked like contributors at time, but never showed the kind of consistent production that would indicate solid development over the long haul.

Rashan Gary, however, has been the polar opposite. The 12th overall pick in 2019, he played sparingly (but well!) as a rookie, took on a bigger role in 2020, and blossomed into an excellent player in 2021.

Now poised for his fourth season, Gary is rightly being recognized as one of the best players on a very talented Packers defense. He’s a great success story for the Packers’ front office, and with a contract extension on the horizon, he stands to reap the benefits of his hard work.

Pass-rush win rate highlights Rashan Gary’s elite status as an edge rusher | Packers Wire

Gary looked strong on the field in 2021, and the advanced numbers backed up the eye test.

Mason Crosby continues to ‘plug away’ with more milestones approaching | Packers.com

With a new special teams coordinator to work with and a new holder providing some stability in the Packers’ field goal operation, Mason Crosby is looking for a bounce-back year.

Herbert, AFC’s Young QBs: Better Than You Think | Football Outsiders

Most people seem to think Justin Herbert is plenty good already, but he may be just scratching the surface.

2022 NFL season: 100 things to know with 100 days until Week 1 kickoff; news, notes and facts for all 32 teams | CBS Sports

Here’s a good survey of the entire NFL as we head toward the darkest depths of the offseason.

Slam-dunking guinea pig breaks Guinness World Record | UPI

These Air Bud sequels are getting ridiculous.