Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson will meet Wednesday with the Packers about his future.Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It was announced today that Cedric Benson will meet on Wednesday with the Green Bay Packers about his potential future with the team.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Benson, who missed 11 games last season with the dreaded Lisfranc foot injury, is nearing 100 percent in his rehab and will meet with Packers officials to talk about the possibility of him staying on board.

While there has also been much talk about the Packers drafting a running back with less wear and tear, Benson remains a possibility because he knows the system and is a veteran who may be retained for a song. However, the Packers have to think long-term as well.

For weeks, the Packers have been linked in many mock drafts with a running back draft in the first round – the most notable and highly mentioned has been Eddie Lacy. Both Benson and Lacy would also fit into the Packers’ mode of toughening up its squad – a team that has been deemed as soft, not only by the media, but by people within the organization and across the NFL.

The Packers, if they are going to draft a running back, should meet with Benson to gauge his physical condition and ability to come back – and they need to do it before the draft. How they view Benson could impact how they go about drafting.

The answer to whether Benson comes back will be answered when the Packers finish their draft this weekend.

Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) carries the football during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson didn’t do much running for the team this past fall, but from the sounds rumbling out of the county courthouse, it looks like his dogs have been doing plenty of running.

Not only has Benson been charged with allowing his dogs to run at-large, but the dogs are alleged to have bitten several calves on a farm near Benson’s home in Manitowoc County.

According to a report in the Green Bay Press Gazette, Benson’s rottweilers got away from Benson long enough to attack the calves on a farm and inflict enough bites on the animals to the point where the local veterinarian thinks some of them may not live.

He was charged twice. The first charges stems from an incident when his dogs were running loose Dec. 20. Another charge stems from an incident Jan. 13.

On top of that, Benson is also facing a speeding charge of driving 41 mph over the limit in Manitowoc County. The charge stems from a traffic stop Jan. 1.

Benson, who is a free agent, was signed by the Packers to a one-year contract at the beginning of the 2012 season. He rushed for 248 yards through five games last season before an injury to his foot ended his year.

Sep 24, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the 2nd half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Green Bay 14-12. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Green Bay Packers and Cedric Benson were just getting to know one another early last fall when a freak injury got in the way in Indianapolis in week five of the 2012 season.

Will that be it? Will the Packers part ways with the 30-year-old running back now that the team’s season has come to an end? Probably. Given past history and GM Ted Thompson’s propensity to eject elderly running backs from his roster, Benson will most likely be gone sometime soon.

It’s a shame that Benson didn’t have the chance to show what he had left in the tank this past season

After a slow start, Benson was just getting into a groove. The Packers signed Benson midway through training camp where he got a handful of carries before being thrust into the starting backfield when the Packers hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. In that game, he carried the ball 9 times for 18 yards. Not exactly a barn burning opener for the veteran.

Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) tries to break a tackle by Chicago Bears defensive end Corey Wootton (98) during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

However, in week two, Benson showed flashes of his old self, gaining 81 yards on 20 carries against his former team, the Chicago Bears. He also caught four passes for 35 yards in the Packers first win of the season.

In week three, it was his strong running in the second half of the Packers “Fail Mary” loss in Seattle that gave the Packers brass and fans a glimpse of how he can carry a team. With Aaron Rodgers getting sacked eight times in the first half, the Packers went to Benson and his hard running style in the second half.

Though he carried the ball 17 times for only 45 yards, he picked up some tough yardage inside and kept the hard-charging Seattle defense off balance enough to help give the Packers the lead until the final play of the game.

In week four at home against the New Orleans Saints, Benson again picked up the pace, running 18 times for 84 yards. He also caught four passes for another 22 yards in the team’s exciting 28-27 win.

In the fifth game of the season at Indianapolis, Benson was again running hard in the first half when his leg was rolled up on and he suffered what was to become a season-ending Lisfranc fracture in his foot. The hope was that he would recover in time to help the Packers in their playoff run, but that didn’t happen. He was placed on injured reserve.

Though he wants to return to the Packers in 2013, the likelihood that will happen seems less with each passing day. That doesn’t mean that Benson isn’t optimistic.

Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

“Hopefully upstairs feels the same way,” Benson said when asked about his future with the team. “A contending team and a team that takes pride in being precise and executing and doing things correct; I’m all for it.”

What the Packers backfield will look like in 2013 is unclear, but it most likely will include Alex Green, DuJuan Harris, John Kuhn, and possibly James Starks and Brandon Saine, who both were also hampered by injuries.

It’s possible Benson could be re-signed for the minimum, but it’s most likely the Packers have seen the last of him.

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Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Though his 2012 season statistics through four games only show him gaining 228 yards on 64 rushing attempts, Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson has been a key to the team’s offensive success during the early going and is showing signs that he could bring new life to the Packers attack as the season wears on.

Will he rush for 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season? Probably not. The Packers pass-happy offensive scheme won’t allow that to occur. But his production should give the Packers exactly what they were looking for when Ted Thompson brought him to Green Bay in August.

As he has shown the last two weeks, first against the Seahawks when he took over in the second half of that game, and again last week against the Saints when he nearly hit the century mark, Benson has brought a new attitude to the Packers run game.

His punishing runs between the tackles is slowing the defensive pass rush and allowing quarterback Aaron Rodgers more time in the passing game.

We are just beginning to see his impact. If Benson can continue to rush between 15 to 20 times per game for 75 to 90 yards, he will be exactly what the Packers want and need.

Flash back to the Packers 2010 Super Bowl run when James Starks came out of nowhere to revitalize the Packers run game – that is exactly what the Packers need at this point in the 2012 season.

If Benson can continue this type of production the rest of the season, he will give the Packers just what they are looking for – however, he has to do two things: he has to stay healthy and he can’t turn the ball over.

Not only will his production on the field give Alex Green more time to heal his surgically repaired knee, but it should also provide Starks more time to get healthy.

More than likely Benson will need a breather as the season wears on, so it’s important that both Green and Starks are healthy when called on.

Benson could be the key to many wins over the remaining three-quarters of this season and could indeed be the linchpin to another Super Bowl run.