The Green Bay Packers’ third running back role is up for grabs this summer, however, how each player performs as a ball carrier will not be the deciding factor. Rather special teams play, pass-catching, and blocking abilities will be potentially more important parts of the decision-making process.
“Particularly for that third running back,” said Brian Gutekunst on Friday, “not only does he have to run the ball, but almost more importantly, he has to catch it, be able to pass block, and be able to play a little bit of special teams because if he’s lacking in that area, if he can’t play special teams, if he can’t pass-block, it’s going to be hard to use him on the 48-man roster.”
With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon handling the bulk of the workload on offense, if the third running back is going to contribute, chances are most of their playing time is going to come on special teams, where they will need to carve out a role and blocking is a key part of that.
Competing for that third roster spot at the running back position are Tyler Goodson, Lew Nichols, and Patrick Taylor.
Where Goodson has been able to separate himself early on in training camp is with his versatility on offense. He has lined up all over the formation and been utilized often as a pre-snap gadget/motion man–a role that could lead to him seeing more playing time instead of only filling the traditional running back role.
Goodson has seen snaps on special teams as a return man this summer, but with Keisean Nixon and Jayden Reed also as options, he will likely have to carve out a role elsewhere.
Nichols has been able to impress as a ball carrier, with good vision, burst, and behind a hard runner, but he has struggled with drops in the passing game. He also comes to the NFL having only played two special teams snaps during his time at Central Michigan. Like Goodson, he will have to carve out a role.
Although Taylor may not possess the same upside on offense as Taylor or Nichols, blocking and special teams play is why he was the primary third running back in 2022. When called upon as a pass protector, he was able to hold his own. On special teams, he played 121 snaps and had the fourth-highest PFF grade on the team.
In order to best evaluate these players and give them enough opportunities to showcase what they can do, Matt LaFleur mentioned on Thursday that a different one of these backs would be featured in each of the upcoming preseason games.
“A lot of it is going to come down to what else do you have to offer,” said LaFleur. “Certainly, there has to be a certain prerequisite for your ability to run the football, but what are you doing in pass protection? What are you doing on teams? How are you catching the ball out of the backfield? All that plays into it in determining who’s going to be that third back. And when you think about that third back, usually they bring some sort of value to teams.”
So as the rest of training camp and the preseason unfolds, keep your eyes more so on who is with what special teams unit, how many snaps they are seeing there, and how well they hold up in pass protection and as pass catchers. Those factors will carry a lot of weight in the final decision.
“When you’re the third guy,” added Gutekunst, “you have to be versatile enough to do all of those things. I think that’s really, really important and that will separate who wins that battle.”
