Packers Sign New Running Back
The Green Bay Packers have added competition to their running back room.
Nate McCrary from Saginaw Valley State, who spent last season with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens organizations, signed with the Packers on Monday.
McCrary recorded one carry for Baltimore in 2021, when he was elevated to the active roster for one game as a COVID replacement.
He had spent the early portion of this offseason with the Cleveland Browns.
The move comes with seventh-round pick Lew Nichols missing practice a second consecutive practice with a shoulder injury.
While coach Matt LaFleur said the Packers have talked about playing their starters in the preseason, which starts on Friday night at Cincinnati, it’s unlikely that Aaron Jones or AJ Dillon will receive a lot of carries.
With Nichols potentially on the shelf for Friday, the Packers need more guys to carry the ball against the Bengals, both in a joint practice on Wednesday and Friday’s preseason opener.
McCrary faces long odds to make the roster with both Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson having been in Green Bay all of last year. Goodson has had some snaps with the first-team during training camp and provided a few explosive plays, and Taylor was active for seven games last season. Plus, the team used a seventh-round pick on Nichols.
One potential way is to offer something on special teams or in the passing game.
“Not only does he have to run the ball, but almost more importantly he has to catch it,” general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters on Friday.
“He has to be able to pass block and play a little bit of special teams because if he’s lacking in that area, if he can’t play special teams, if he can’t pass block, it’s going to be hard to use him on the 48-man roster.”
McCrary does have 29 special teams snaps in his young career.
LaFleur has offered similar sentiments as Gutekunst as to what he’s looking for with a third running back.
“A lot of it is going to come down to what else do you have to offer.” LaFleur said.
“Certainly there has to be a certain prerequisite for your ability to run the football, but what are you doing in pass protection? What are you doing on teams? How are you catching the ball out of the backfield?”
Before the 2021 NFL Draft, he measured 6-foot 1/4 and 213 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.52 seconds. At Saginaw Valley State, he rushed for 1,060 yards (6.3 average) and 10 touchdowns in 2019.
McCrary will have to show those things quickly as he’s been thrust into the competition for the third running back spot.
