Big Training Camp Battles: Running Backs

Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, AJ Dillon and Tyler Ervin are the frontrunners for four spots.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In Aaron Jones, the Green Bay Packers have one of the best running backs in the NFL.

In Jamaal Williams, the Packers have a do-it-all, three-down player.

In second-round pick AJ Dillon, the Packers have a potential workhorse with bruising size and breakaway speed.

In Tyler Ervin, the Packers have a kick returner who almost single-handedly turned the special teams from weakness to strength upon his late-season arrival. His speed could make him a gadget guy on offense.

Those four roster spots seem set in stone. Sure, the Packers could trade Williams. Doing so would create more opportunities for Dillon, clear about $2.1 million in cap space and perhaps help the roster today (player-for-player swamp) or in the future (draft pick).

RELATED: KEY AT RUNNING BACK

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS: AARON JONES

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS: JAMAAL WILLIAMS

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS: AJ DILLON

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS: TYLER ERVIN

MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS: DEXTER WILLIAMS

However, COVID, as it seems to have done with every facet of life, has thrown a wrench into that possibility. Because of the pandemic, Dillon lost the organized team activities and minicamp that would have hastened his development. Because of it, will Dillon be ready to contribute? Remember, while Jones was a workhorse last year, he missed all of five games and parts of a few others due to knee injuries his first two seasons. Could Dillon, who was almost a total nonfactor in the passing game in college, be able to perform at a winning level if asked over, say, a four-game stretch? He’ll have just a few weeks of practice and no preseason games to prove he’s up to the challenge.

If Williams is traded, it could reopen the door to Dexter Williams. A sixth-round pick last year, he barely played as a rookie and seemingly was an afterthought in the eyes of the staff, who sometimes didn’t even mention him when talking about the running back depth.

“The one good thing about him is, he’s got the ability to make explosive cuts, but he’s got really good acceleration. He can hit his top speed pretty fast,” running back coach Ben Sirmans said during the 2019 offseason program. “He should be built for this scheme because he can make explosive cuts and he can accelerate through the hole.”

Taylor is a potential wild card. He was a three-down back at Memphis but his senior year was derailed by a Lisfranc foot injury. He had surgery after the Scouting Combine and is on the Non-Football Injury List.

Another wild card is Lovett, who was claimed off waivers from Kansas City. He was a do-it-all quarterback at Princeton who quickly impressed as an H-back with the Chiefs last summer before a season-ending injury in training camp.

“He’s just a real versatile player,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “Very, very smart. I think he can do not only the fullback but just that moveable tight end piece that I think is extremely valuable to add a little bit of flexibility to your offense.”

However, is there a need for such a player on the roster after the team drafted tight end Josiah Deguara in the third round to help fill the fullback duties? Remember, last year’s fullback, Danny Vitale, played only 170 snaps with just eight touches.

Final roster prediction (4)

In: Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, AJ Dillon, Tyler Ervin.

Out: Dexter Williams, Damarea Crockett, Patrick Taylor, FB John Lovett.

Big Training Camp Battles

QB: Boyle vs. Love