Getty Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Green Bay Packers made a somewhat surprising choice to keep just two running backs on their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season, and at least some of that decision has to do with the “emergence” of one of their young receivers as a potential weapon out of the backfield.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke with reporters on August 31 about the the team’s first active roster for the new year and was asked almost immediately about their decision to make Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon their only rostered running backs. Tyler Goodson, Patrick Taylor and Dexter Williams had been competing for the RB3 role for the majority of training camp, but all three were waived when final cuts were made.
Some of the reason, according to Gutekunst, was the flexibility of the game-day elevation rules for the practice squad. They can stash players like Goodson and Taylor on their 16-man practice squad and elevate them if an emergency situation ever leaves them without one of their two lead backs.
The other reason … is second-year wide receiver Amari Rodgers.
“I think also the emergence of Amari Rodgers doing some stuff back there could help us as well,” Gutekunst said during Wednesday’s press conference. “We have some flexibility there, so that was part of the decision.”
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Rodgers Flashed Rushing Ability in Preseason
The Packers experimented with different ways to get Rodgers involved in their offense over the past month of the preseason. They looked his way plenty in the passing game (11 targets), but they also handed the ball off to him six times for 36 yards and watched him gain at least four yards on all of his runs but one. His longest went for 11 yards.
Rodgers would be wise to make himself as valuable as possible to the Packers in his upcoming second season. The Packers had traded up to get him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, but he went virtually unused on offense after the team traded for veteran Randall Cobb just before the start of training camp. Despite playing in 16 games, Rodgers was targetted just eight times in the passing game and had a single rushing attempt (for 11 yards), leaving him to do most of his work on special teams.
While a logjam of receivers — including three rookies that made the 53-man roster — could cut into Rodgers’ receiving attention again, Rodgers could really start to make a name for himself if he gets involved in jet sweeps and other motions for the offense. Think of how Matt LaFleur tried to use running back Tyler Ervin in 2019 and 2020, but imagine a heavier frame with just as much speed. That could be a secret weapon for the Packers offense as it works through some of their growing pains in the passing game.
Goodson & Patrick Return to Practice Squad
The Packers took a small risk when they waived every running back that contributed for them in the preseason. With former Iowa standout Tyler Goodson especially, there was a bit of concern that another team would see his upside as an undrafted rookie and swipe him for their active roster before Green Bay could get him back on the practice squad. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to see their risk pay off.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Wednesday that both Goodson and third-year running back Patrick Taylor had been signed back to the team’s practice squad, giving them two more pure rushers to develop behind the scenes while they wait for former seventh-round pick Kylin Hill to return from last year’s ACL tear.
Goodson rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and gained another 70 yards on eight receptions during the preseason, finishing a cut above the rest of the competition in the Packers’ backfield. Taylor, however, still managed to get some steady usage despite an injury holding him back in the early parts of camp, carrying the ball 18 times for 71 yards and catching three of his six passing targets for an additional 17 yards. For now, they will be the primary backups for the two-headed dragon of Jones and Dillon.
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Packers GM Says WR ‘Emergence’ Led to Unusual RB Decision