The Green Bay Packers have already been in the market for a running back at the NFL trade deadline. One name to keep an eye on is Tony Pollard of the Tennessee Titans. With Josh Jacobs injuring his finger and having issues gripping the football, Pollard is a safe trade acquisition who could replace Jacobs if he misses time, but complement him if he is healthy.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that the Titans will listen to calls on Pollard. The current asking price for Pollard is around a fourth-round pick.
“Pollard has drawn interest from teams looking for running back help that don’t want to pay the freight for Taylor, and the feeling from those teams is that it would cost at least a fourth-round pick to pry the veteran back from Tennessee,” wrote Breer.
This seems to fit the Packers’ timeline, draft cost, and salary cap situation better than a big swing for Jonathan Taylor or Breece Hall.
Green Bay Packers Could Trade for Tony Pollard at NFL Trade Deadline
Packers running back broke his finger in their Week 9 win over the New England Patriots. Jacobs tried to pop it back into place and return to the field. However, he had issues gripping the football. The team will spend the week working on ways to get him to grip the football, but if he cannot, they will have to lean on their depth.
The big issue is that the team has highly questionable depth behind Jacobs. Kaleb Johnson led the way for Green Bay in Week 9, but he had been inactive in the two weeks prior to that after fumbling in Week 4.
MarShawn Lloyd had been the backup, but his lack of efficiency forced the team to make him inactive in Week 9.
They also have Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong, but both are passing-down backs. Jacobs has been an upgrade over what they have, but he has not hit the ground running, either. He has 36 rushes for 80 yards so far this season.
Jacobs also has off-the-field allegations; he had a touchdown celebration receive pushback, and now, with his finger, he is getting harder to trust. The team needs a safety blanket to avoid leaning on Johnson and Lloyd.
Packers Need Help at RB
Pollard is in the last year of his contract, so the 1-7 Titans do not need to hold onto him just to see him leave this offseason for nothing. The Titans offense has not been great, either, and yet Pollard has 133 rushes for 595 yards, showing that he can be efficient in the Packers’ offense.
He has 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons. More than that, he has 14 catches this year and 264 in his career. He can be a passing-down back who pushes Brooks and Strong out of the way if Jacobs is healthy. If Jacobs cannot go, he can lead the rushing attack. The fit makes too much sense.
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