One of the more wide-open roster battles that will take place this summer for the Green Bay Packers is at the running back position, and more specifically, who will be the third option behind Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
Outside of Jones and Dillon, there are four other running backs on the roster: Tyler Goodson, Lew Nichols, Patrick Taylor, and Emanuel Wilson — although of the group, Wilson is likely very much a long-shot to make the team, and his ceiling with Green Bay this season is more likely as a practice squad player.
In 2022, this third running back role largely belonged to Taylor, and a big reason why was because of his ability on special teams, not to mention that he proved he could hold his own as a blocker in pass protection. Taylor would end up playing 121 total special teams snaps on several phases and finished with the fourth-highest special teams grade on the team, according to PFF.
With Jones and Dillon taking most, if not all, of the running back snaps, it’s going to be important that the third running back is able to contribute on special teams since, in all likelihood, that is where the majority of their playing time is going to come. However, based on what running backs coach Ben Sirmans had to say prior to OTAs, special teams play may be more of a tie-breaker in the decision-making process rather than a key factor.
“I mean, special teams played a huge role in making that decision for us,” said Sirmans. “If all guys are running on all cylinders, it may come down to which one of these guys is going to more beneficial for what we want to do offensively in situations and how their response is on special teams. So it’s going to be a real deal.”
This could put Taylor on the outside looking in this season. He doesn’t have the offensive upside that Goodson and Nichols possess. With Jones potentially in his final season with Green Bay and Dillon a free agent in 2024, to a degree, the Packers need to be looking ahead to the potential state of their running back room next offseason. Also, this is a much improved Packers special teams unit, with their top eight players in total snaps returning along with their top 10 players in tackles, making Taylor more replaceable, especially with particularly deep position groups at linebacker and safety.
Many thought that Goodson could have earned a roster spot after his preseason performance last season. He brings a similar style to the running back positions as Aaron Jones, with his burst, ability to make defenders miss, and the way he can impact the passing game, whether that be from the backfield or lined up in the slot. Given what he was able to do during OTAs and minicamp, it is going to be really difficult to keep Goodson off the initial roster if he’s able to carry that momentum through the rest of the summer. In short, he looks like a true playmaker with the ball in his hands.
However, Goodson will have to carve out a role on special teams. He was often used as a return man last preseason and saw some reps in that role during offseason programs, but with Keisean Nixon and Jayden Reed, that likely won’t end up being a role he will fill.
One advantage Nichols has is that he is a draft pick. Throughout the last few seasons under Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur, when it has come down to deciding those final roster spots, oftentimes, the recent draft pick has been chosen. A prime example of this happened in 2022 with Jonathan Ford, who was a seventh-round pick and earned a roster spot, even though from the outside looking in, it did appear that both Jack Heflin and Chris Slayton outplayed him during the preseason.
From a football standpoint, Nichols checks all of the boxes that the Packers look for at running back. He was productive in college, even leading the NCAA in rushing yards in 2021. Nichols also had the second-most pass-blocking snaps of any running back in this year’s draft class, along with 88 targets in the passing game. But in terms of special teams experience, he has very little, playing only two snaps at Central Michigan.
Under LaFleur, the Packers kept three running backs on the initial 53-man roster in 2019 and 2021. They would keep four in 2020 and just two in 2022. Given that there are a number of other crowded position groups and that Jones and Dillon will handle the bulk of the workload on offense, I don’t see them keeping four this year. The season they did that, Tyler Ervin was listed as the fourth running back but was more of a motion/gadget-type player.
I wouldn’t say that keeping two running backs again is likely, but I wouldn’t rule it out either, given the NFL’s practice squad elevation rules. This allows teams to elevate a player from the practice squad up to three times before either having to sign them to the 53-man roster or release them. If the Packers are able to get two running backs to the practice squad, that gives them game-day depth for six games through elevations before they ultimately have to make a decision on whether they want to permanently add someone to their roster. Again, this approach could work because the third running back is there for depth in case of injury, and the Packers have their core special teams players returning.
At the running back position, it’s easy to simply evaluate a player based on how they perform as a ball carrier. But we also need to keep in mind that playing running back in the LaFleur offense is an all-encompassing role. It’s not only about how the running back fairs as a ball carrier, but they also have to be able to move around the formation, be a reliable pass-catcher, a solid blocker, and in regards to RB3, impact special teams.
