Michigan linebacker Rashan Gary enters the NFL with concerns about his shoulder. Concerns that have been downplayed by him and by his new team, the Packers.
The downplaying continued on Friday, when Gary showed up for his first practice as a Packers with (drum roll) a brace on his shoulder.
“Yeah, when I got hurt at Michigan, I came back, and I wore the brace,” Gary said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “I’m comfortable with it, wearing it. Me and the trainers decided just to wear it. I feel comfortable playing with it, so I’m rocking it.”
Coach Matt LaFleur also tried to adopt a “this is fine” vibe.
“I’ll probably get more into that with those guys as we move forward,” LaFleur said regarding Gary’s shoulder. “I think it’s just totally precautionary.”
Whether it’s totally precautionary or partially (or totally) something more remains to be seen. But no one can say the Packers didn’t have a full and fair ability to poke and prod the shoulder before making Gary the 12th pick in the draft. To the extent the condition scared off other teams that may have taken Gary earlier, that’s good news for Green Bay.
If, of course, the shoulder really is fine.