Green Bay Packers: 5 players who must improve

1. Ty Montgomery

After shifting to running back and averaging a stellar 5.9 yards per carry in 2016, Montgomery took a significant step back last year. He clearly was not suited to a workhorse role (41 carries and 18 receptions over the first three games), as injuries started to become an issue, and he eventually succumbed to a lingering wrist injury in early December.

Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams will be in the mix for substantial touches in Green Bay’s backfield from the start this year. So much so that there has been offseason talk of Montgomery moving back to wide receiver or serving in a running back/wide receiver hybrid role. No matter where he’s lining up on the field, staying healthy will be of paramount importance for Montgomery this year.

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Montgomery can be a unique dual-threat weapon for the Packers’ offense, with some play-calling and misdirection possibilities when he’s on the field that should be obvious to all involved. But he has to be at full physical capacity to maximize that value, and after last season there’s a chance a smaller back like him (6-foot, 216 pounds) will always be a little banged up.