The Green Bay Packers offense appears to be in disarray through three weeks. While the offensive line is the biggest issue, the team does not have a reliable running back to make anything work behind them, either.
That is why New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is emerging as a potential addition the team can make now that they have ten days between games. Brent Sobelski of Bleacher Report noted that he is the best option that is realistically available to the team.
“With Josh Jacobs’ on the commissioner’s exempt list with a potential league suspension forthcoming, general manager Brian Gutekunst must look at alternatives,” wrote Sobelski. “Remaining free agents aren’t promising. A potential trade could happen. The New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara may be the biggest name on the trade block.”
Some of the best free agent options available are Miles Sanders, Kareem Hunt, and Raheem Mostert. This makes Kamara more appealing from the Packers’ standpoint.
Green Bay Packers Need a Running Back
As poor as the offensive line is, the easier solution might be finding someone who can try to create something out of nothing. As things stand, the Packers do not have a running back who can create anything.
Chris Brooks leads the Packers in snaps, but that is because he is their best pass-down back. The Packers have trailed often in the first three weeks, causing him to play more than expected. Still, he is third on the Packers in carries.
MarShawn Lloyd was expected to lead the way this season. While he is leading the team in carries, he has 23 carries for 68 yards. His 3 yards per carry and 43% success rate are unimpressive.
He is slowly seeing his role taken away by Kaleb Johnson. Johnson went from zero offensive snaps in Week 1, to 16 in Week 2, and against the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson had 24 snaps.
Still, he had an awful rookie season in Pittsburgh; he was traded right before roster cuts, and he has 12 carries for 38 yards. His 42% success rate is not going to push Lloyd away for good.
Unless Jacobs comes back, these three backs cannot save the Packers’ line. So, Kamara does make sense.
Packers Could Trade for Alvin Kamara
Kamara is in his tenth NFL season. While the 31-year-old back does not have many years left, he has 1,683 career carries and 611 receptions. So far this year, he has just nine rushing attempts and six targets. He missed Week 1 and was in a timeshare with free agent addition Travis Etienne in Week 2.
Kamara is on a one-year, $6M deal with New Orleans. The Saints could let him play out his last year as a backup running back who plays sparingly. They could also move him, give Etienne more rein in the backfield, and get an asset for a player who is unlikely to play much.
The only thing holding the Saints back would be the sentimentality of a 10-year player finishing his career with the team that drafted him.
Packers Urged to Trade for 6-Time Pro Bowl RB