In Need of RB Depth, Packers Work Out Kerryon Johnson

With Aaron Jones sidelined for the next week or two, the Green Bay Packers only have two running backs on the 53-man roster—AJ Dillon and Patrick Taylor. While Dillon will see a bulk of the touches, a team still needs more than two running backs on the active roster.

Practice squad options include Ryquell Armstead, who was signed less than two weeks ago, and Kerrith Whyte, who was signed on Tuesday. Not that either back would be relied upon heavily, but the two have just 60 combined NFL carries, according to PFF ($$).

So the Packers are still exploring non-roster options to bolster their running back depth, and one player they brought in for a workout is former Detroit Lion Kerryon Johnson—which has my attention.

Johnson was a second-round pick in the 2018 draft by the Lions and is still just 24 years old. Johnson burst onto the scene as a rookie and would carry the ball 118 times over the course of 10 games that season for 641 yards at 5.4 yards per rush, along with three touchdowns. He would also miss six games due to a knee injury.

The following season, Johnson would appear in only eight games due to another knee injury and tallied 403 rushing yards on 3.6 yards per carry with three more rushing touchdowns.

Johnson would then appear in all 16 games in 2020 but his workload was drastically reduced due to a crowded backfield in Detroit. On just 52 rushing attempts, Johnson averaged 3.5 yards per rush.

But in addition to just carrying the ball, Johnson was also utilized heavily in the passing game where he was quite effective. Over his first three seasons, Johnson caught 61 of his 80 targets at 8.6 yards per catch with three touchdowns.

Johnson has experience lining up both in the slot and out wide—something that we know is important for running backs in the Matt LaFleur offense. Not to mention that he’s graded out very well as a pass-blocker by PFF’s metrics–again, another important aspect to LaFleur’s offense.

He was signed this past offseason by Philadelphia before being released off IR prior to the season beginning. Johnson was then signed by San Francisco and appeared in one game before being released again.

Knee injuries have derailed Johnson’s career, but in Green Bay, where he would be used somewhat sparingly, this would be an intriguing addition, and hopefully, on a pitch count, he could find some of his old form.

Expectations shouldn’t be that the Green Bay Packers would be getting the Kerryon Johnson of 2018 or 2019, but with his added ability as a pass-catcher who can move around formation along with his abilities in pass-protection, he checks a lot of the boxes that LaFleur looks for in running backs–plus he has much more experience than Armstead and Whyte.

No deal has been confirmed at this time, and just because Johnson was in for a workout, it doesn’t mean that Green Bay will sign the former second-round pick, but as I’ve already said, I’m intrigued.