Packers activate linebacker Rashan Gary from PUP list as he continues recovery from torn ACL

Updated Aug. 7, 2023 6:58 p.m. ET

Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary took a step forward in his return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament Monday by getting activated from the physically unable to perform list.

Gary participated in individual drills at Monday's practice.

“It’s a complete honor,” Gary said afterward. “It’s a privilege to be back on the field. My circle, my family, everybody knows what I’ve been putting into this.”

Gary said he's “still taking it day by day” and declined to speculate on whether he might be available for the team's Sept. 10 opener at Chicago.

“If that is the case, that’ll just tell you how hard my work’s been and that’s me staying dedicated, not missing those days and just trying squeeze in as much as I can day in and day out,” Gary said.

Gary, 25, had six sacks and seven tackles for loss in nine games last season before tearing the ACL in his right knee Nov. 6 during a 15-9 loss at Detroit. He had at least one sack in each of the Packers’ first four games.

Although the 2019 first-round pick from Michigan missed nearly half the season in 2022, his six sacks still ranked second on the team, behind Preston Smith’s 8½.

NOTE: The Packers signed RB Nate McCrary, who spent part of last season on the Carolina Panthers' practice squad and the early part of this year's training camp with the Cleveland Browns. McCrary had one carry for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.

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