The Green Bay Packers did not add a running back at the NFL trade deadline. However, it was not for a lack of trying. The team was reportedly one of the teams most interested in adding Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, although the Colts’ price was too high. Now, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport are reporting that the Packers were one of the teams most interested in adding Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard.
The two reported that the price to add Pollard was also too high.
“The Packers and Broncos checked in on Titans running back Tony Pollard, whom Tennessee would not have traded for anything less than a third-round pick,” wrote the ESPN insiders.
Now, the Packers will head into Week 10 with a committee of Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks, Pierre Strong and MarShawn Lloyd.
Green Bay Packers Attempted to Trade for Titans RB Tony Pollard
The Packers running back room has been a mess throughout the season. Josh Jacobs started the season on the Commissioner’s exempt list due to a domestic dispute that got resolved in court.
The team started with MarShawn Lloyd in the first couple of weeks, but he struggled to get anything going. They started to lean on trade acquisition, Kaleb Johnson, but Johnson fumbled in Week 4 and started to see his snaps reduced.
Jacobs came back after week 6, but struggled as well. He hurt his finger in Week 9 and ended up missing the rest of the game. The team expects him to miss a couple of games.
Green Bay leaned on Johnson after that. They are expected to get Chris Brooks back from the IR this week. Still, with Johnson hardly knowing the offense, and the team being pass-first, it made sense for them to go after Pollard, who was on the 1-7 Titans.
Pollard Made Sense for Packers
Pollard is in the last year of his deal with the Titans, so it made sense for the team to want to trade him. They might see him walk for nothing in a few months. However, the third-round price tag was too much for a one-year rental from the Packers’ perspective.
The biggest thing that Pollard would have added to the Packers is a passing game impact. He has 264 career receptions for 1,833 yards and five touchdowns in his NFL career. So far this season, he only has 14 receptions for 70 yards, but that’s because of the woes in the Titans’ passing attack.
In the Packers’ high-passing-volume offense, he could be a really strong player who opens up running lanes due to his passing-game threat. So, his impact in both areas would make him valuable. He could also complement Jacobs or Johnson, who are more downhill runners, but not as fast as Pollard.
The trade would have made sense for the right price. Unfortunately, it did not come together.
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