Will the Green Bay Packers Roster 3 or 4 Running Backs?

When it comes to roster building, it’s not only about which specific players make the team coming out of the preseason but also how many players at each position Matt LaFleur decides to keep on the Green Bay Packers.

One of several positions where it could end up being a numbers game is at running back and whether to keep three or four on the roster.

We, of course, know that Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will be locks, and once healthy, Kylin Hill is the likely front-runner for that third running back role. The answer to this question could be that simple, with either Patrick Taylor, Tyler Goodson, or BJ Baylor filling in for Hill until he returns.

However, there very well could be more to it than that for the Green Bay Packers this season.

As I wrote recently, while we know that Jones and Dillon will receive the bulk of the touches, I do believe that there is an opportunity for the third running back to have a larger role this season.

The third running back was used sparingly in 2021, with Hill and Taylor combining for 22 carries and two targets. But with Davante Adams now in Las Vegas, whether it be through the air — where both Jones and Dillon will be utilized — or on the ground, there are 169 touches that will have to be accounted for this season by other players.

Of course, we know that not all of those touches will go to Jones and Dillon, but their usage could very well go up with Adams’ targets needing to go elsewhere along with the uncertainty at wide receiver.

In addition to more carries and targets, this could also include more two running back sets–something that the Green Bay Packers utilized on just 2% of their snaps in 2021, according to Sharp Football.

At the end of the day, teams want to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers, and for the Packers, that’s Jones and Dillon.

So with Jones and Dillon potentially taking on larger roles, that creates more opportunities for a third running back as well.

LaFleur mentioned prior to the 2020 NFL Draft the value of having a third running back to lean on to help keep the other two more fresh and the team better prepared if an injury were to occur. On top of that, both Hill and Taylor now have an additional year of NFL experience, which should make them more prepared for larger roles.

Even just a handful of snaps per week by a third running back can add up over the course of an entire NFL season.

So naturally, if the third running back’s role is going to increase, that increases the value of having a fourth running back on the roster–even if that player isn’t going to see many — if any — snaps on offense as long as everyone is healthy.

That fourth running back would be there if an injury takes place, and it will also be important for that player to contribute on special teams as well.

As already mentioned, competing for that possible roster spot will be Taylor, who is entering his third season and is a well-rounded back–which makes him a very good fit for LaFleur’s offense. The other running backs are Goodson and Baylor, two UDFAs. Goodson was effective both as a ball carrier and pass catcher at Iowa, while Baylor was primarily used on the ground, with most of his touches coming in 2021.

During LaFleur’s three seasons as head coach of the Packers, Green Bay has rostered four running backs on one occasion, which came in 2020, with Tyler Ervin playing the primary role of receiver, although he was listed as a running back.

As always, there is give and take; if the Packers end up rostering a fourth running back, which position will they have to take away from in order for the math to work out?

My guess is that the Green Bay Packers will roster three running backs, but ultimately that will be decided by what takes place on the field during the month of August.

If a fourth running back can stand out, then rostering that player is very much an option given the larger role that the running back position as a whole could play this season.