Packers: In a Loaded RB Room, LaFleur is Excited to see Dexter Williams

After an inconsistent rookie season with the Green Bay Packers, in a loaded running backs room, Matt LaFleur is excited to see Dexter Williams this season.

From the outside looking in, the Green Bay Packers seem pretty set at the running back position heading into training camp. We know Aaron Jones is the undisputed RB1 on this roster, while the reliable Jamaal Williams and the bruiser A.J. Dillon will battle for RB2 reps, but both will be a part of the offense this season.

Even Tyler Ervin seems like a lock, given his ability as a return man on special teams and the unique skill-set that he brings to Matt LaFleur’s offense as a gadget player.

However, in his most recent Zoom call with reporters, when asked about the running back group, LaFleur went out of his way to mention how excited he is to see 2019 sixth-round pick, Dexter Williams this season:

"“The guy that I’m excited to see more too, is Dexter Williams. He’s a guy that’s really been working really really hard in all the video I’ve seen of him in the conditioning phases.”"

When it comes to Williams, his ability has never been in question. In fact, he’s an ideal fit for LaFleur’s outside-zone running scheme. Although not the fastest back by any means, he’s an explosive runner that can get north and south very quickly to burst through the hole created by the offensive line. And we saw flashes of this several times in the preseason.

But what hurt Williams was his consistency, which to some extent, is to be expected from a sixth-round draft pick. While the flashes were there, we also saw a player who was hesitant with the ball in his hands, struggled with drops in the passing game, and was a liability in pass protection.

This quickly led to Williams falling out of favor with LaFleur, and although he did make the 53-man roster, he saw less playing time than Tra Carson – just ten total snaps – who was let go by the Green Bay Packers in October of last season.

What Williams’ path back to the final roster is in 2020, I’m not exactly sure. As I mentioned above, Jones, Dillon, and Jamaal Williams are locks, and it feels like Ervin is as well with what he provides on special teams.

Perhaps Green Bay could keep five running backs given the importance of the position in LaFleur’s offense, but admittedly, that seems unlikely. Or maybe Williams performs so well during training camp, that LaFleur has to keep him around. Although once again, that seems like another unlikely scenario.

Regardless of how you look at it, it’s certainly a tough road to the final 53-man roster for Williams. With that said, he does have a few things going for him as he plays an important position within this offense, he’s truly a great fit for it, and he already has LaFleur’s attention.

But after a rocky rookie season, first things first, Williams has to clean up his game and regain the trust of his coaching staff.