NFC North 2018 running back power rankings: Detroit Lions in the middle

The Green Bay Packers running backs

Last offseason the Green Bay Packers decided to completely revamp their backfield depth. Ty Montgomery was coming off a nice five-game stretch to close out the 2016 season, and he was expected to be their starter. The Packers picked up Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones and Devante Mays in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds of the draft. In 2017 each of Montgomery, Jones, and Williams got their chance to grab the starting role, but none played well at all.

Montgomery began the year with poor performances on the ground against Seattle, Atlanta, and Cincinnati. In every game during the season where Montgomery received more than six carries, he averaged 3.5 or fewer yards. The performance was so poor that there has been speculation the team might move him back to wide receiver. That speculation died down when he reported to camp bigger and stronger after an offseason spent in Green Bay working with the team’s strength and conditioning coach while rehabbing an injury that limited him to ten games last year. Whether that will result in him being better remains to be seen.

Jones has made more waves with a two-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy than his performance through OTAs. He too has reportedly “bulked up” in an effort to not remain a huge liability in pass protection. That almost never works out for a player’s overall game, however. Only time will tell if Jones is the exception to that rule but I am not holding my breath.

Williams, on the other hand, is the team’s best pass blocker. He, however, spent the offseason looking to get more explosive and dropping weight. He led the team with 556 rushing yards, but only averaged 3.6 yards per carry.  Williams held up the Packers offense during the back half of the season but did not keep it out of the dirt. He had only one game with more than two carries in which he did not average less than four yards per carry.

The Packers have a committee of limited players. None of them have an extensive history of success. All of them are trying to become something they are not in the 2018 offseason. They should be effective as receivers, and a healthy Aaron Rodgers will take much of the pressure off of the running game. Any statistical improvement on the ground in Green Bay is likely more because of the threat of Rodgers’ arm returning than the running back group’s ability, however. That is why they rank fourth in my power rankings.