Fansided

5 best training camp battles for Packers in 2019

By Russell S. Baxter

GREEN BAY, WI - JUNE 11: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) waits for a new drill to start during Green Bay Packers Minicamp at Clarke Hinkle Field on June 11, 2019 in Green Bay WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WI - JUNE 11: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) waits for a new drill to start during Green Bay Packers Minicamp at Clarke Hinkle Field on June 11, 2019 in Green Bay WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 30: Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 30: Jamaal Williams #30 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

3. Backup running back

Jamaal Williams vs. Dexter Williams

So will it finally be different this season for the Green Bay Packers’ ground attack? A year ago, the team finished 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game (104.2 average) and no club in the league finished with fewer total running plays. Dating back to 2008 (quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ first season as the team’s starter), the Pack has finished in the Top 10 in rushing yards just once in 11 years. That was in 2013, when burly Eddie Lacy ran for 1,189 yards and 11 scores on 284 attempts. In ’18, Green Bay amassed a total of 333 running plays.

This past season, second-year running back Aaron Jones led the way with 728 yards and eight scores on 133 carries. He was followed by two-year pro Jamaal Williams, who had nearly as many attempts (121) but ran for just 464 yards and three touchdowns. Rodgers actually finished third on the team with 269 rushing yards and a pair of TDs.

Back to the original questions. Will there indeed be a bigger commitment by new head coach Matt LaFleur and new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to the running game? Jones will certainly be the main threat but could Williams face a challenge from rookie running back Dexter Williams? The former Golden Domer was the second of two sixth-round picks by the Packers in April. In his final season at Notre Dame, he rushed for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns in just nine outings. Could he wind up taking some carries from the other Williams?

Next: No. 2

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