The Green Bay Packers need another running back, both for the 2020 season and potentially the future.
Coach Matt LaFleur wants a third option behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, while GM Brian Gutekunst probably needs to safeguard his roster at the position long-term.
It’s unclear if the desired running back will be sixth-round pick Dexter Williams, late-season waiver claim Tyler Ervin, a veteran addition in free agency or a rookie draft pick, but the Packers want to identify or add a third option.
“It’s such a long season, and those guys take on a ton of punishment. That’s one of the tougher positions to play in terms of physicality. You always need multiple guys to get to the finish line,” LaFleur said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “Certainly, we’d like to play one more game than we did last season. And we’re going to need, not only those two guys (Jones and Williams), but I do think we’re going to need a third guy to put into that mix moving forward.”
In 2019, Jones and Williams combined for 343 carries, 88 catches and 431 total touches. Jones played in all 16 regular-season games, while Williams was available for 14 – missing one game with a concussion and another with a shoulder injury. Both played in both postseason games.
Packers running backs after Jones and Williams received just 12 total carries. Part of the distribution was the incredible injury luck the Packers enjoyed and the diverse skill sets of the two veterans, but another part of it was a lack of a true third option. LaFleur clearly wants another back to help spread out the touches and ensure Jones and Williams – who combined for almost 2,300 total yards and 25 total touchdowns – stay healthy for another full season in 2020.
While LaFleur worries about the present, Gutekunst must look into the future.
Jones and Williams, both mid-round draft picks in 2017, are entering the final year of their rookie deals in 2020. There’s a good chance the Packers won’t be able to re-sign both, especially if both are as productive as they were in 2019. There’s even a chance both depart if the Packers’ willingness to spend at the running back position doesn’t match their individual financial expectations.
Drafting a running back now would help ensure the Packers aren’t going into 2021 with a bare cupboard at a key position in LaFleur’s offense.
Potential options in the middle rounds of this year’s draft could include Zach Moss, Cam Akers, Eno Benjamin, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Lamichel Perine, among others.
LaFleur said he’d “love” for the Packers to bring back Ervin, who sparked the return game to life and added some versatility on offense. How the Packers build the position this offseason will likely say a lot about the future of Dexter Williams, who – despite a good build, quickness and strength – found himself in the doghouse early in his rookie season and ended up playing sparingly in 2019.
The Packers have a present and future need at running back. The future need certainly outweighs the present need, which likely drops the position down the team’s hierarchy of needs. Even so, future needs are still needs, so expect LaFleur and Gutekunst to work together to determine the right mix of internal improvements and external additions at running back this offseason.
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