Dec 25, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant (25) rushes with the football in front of Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers (90) during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

In a turn of events that seemed to come in slightly below the radar, James Starks is out and Ryan Grant returns. Tuesday news surfaced that James Starks suffered a season ending knee injury in the Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Wednesday morning ESPN Milwaukee broke the story that Ryan Grant is returning to Green Bay.

James Starks going down just as he was beginning to get going is disappointing. Starks and Alex Green proved to be a decent one – two punch against the Vikings on Sunday gaining 124 yards on 27 carries collectively. It seemed the Packers ground game was moving in the right direction.  But for the Packers and Starks this is just another injury to add to an already long list.

The move to bring back Ryan Grant is pragmatic if nothing else. Grant knows the offense having played for the Packers from 2007-’11 gaining over 4000 yards during his previous tenure with green and gold.  Last season Grant split time with James Starks and rushed for 559 yards on 134 carries for a 4.4 yard average. Bringing back Ryan Grant the Packers know they have someone they can plug in and he can hit the ground running… well that’s the hope anyways.

Grant turns 30 this Sunday, an age that in many cases is the point of no return for an NFL running back.  With the exception of a cup of coffee he had with the Washington Redskins in which he carried the ball once for 5 yards in 3 games Grant has been out of the game all season long. Provided he has kept himself in shape, if nothing else he should have fresh legs going into the playoff run.

The Packers opted not to re-sign Grant for the 2012 season. It may have been that his asking price was too high for a 29 year old running back, or the Packers may have simply felt his skills were diminishing.  Grant worked out for a number of teams including the Bears, Lions, Patriots, and Redskins as previously mentioned but was not able to find a permanent home this season. He’s been called a one cut back and maybe he’s lost a step. But in week 14 there are not a lot of Adrian Petersons on the waiver wire.

With all that said, Grant may have a little left in the tank. Not to mention he does have a little unfinished business in Green Bay that may fuel his fire. In 2010 Grant was on injured reserve for the Super Bowl run. He did get a ring, however he would probably admit that it would have been more rewarding had he been on the field. Grant also had a deflating fumble in last year’s first round playoff loss to the Giants that set up a touchdown score that all but put the game out of reach. Ryan Grant would most likely want to conclude his Packer story differently.

Jan 15, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; New York Giants middle linebacker Chase Blackburn (93) picks up a ball fumbled by Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant (25) during the second half in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field. The Giants won 37-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

For now it’s a game of wait and see.  With the playoff push in full swing the Packers hope that Ryan Grant in tandem with Alex Green can give them the firepower in the backfield they need to make a Super Bowl run.  Time will tell, but the addition of Grant seems like a good fix for a desperate situation.

Ryan Grant spent five years with the team prior to this season and was resigned Wednesday to take the roster spot vacated by the injured James Starks. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

The Green Bay Packers, as reported by ESPN, signed Ryan Grant this morning to fill the hole left by the loss of running back James Starks.

It was reported last night that Starks was lost for the season from a knee injury suffered in Sunday’s game against the Vikings. The injury to Starks came as a big surprise to most, not only because he rushed three times for 9 yards after the injury occurred late in Sunday’s game.

Grant, the oft-injured running back who led the team in rushing over the past few years, knows the system and should be able to step in and replace Starks in the lineup.

Grant was with the Packers from 2007 to 2011 but the team didn’t re-sign him after last season for various reasons. Team officials believed they could get along with the running backs they had on the team – Starks, Alex Green and John Kuhn. However, a rash of injuries this season, in addition to that suffered by Starks this past Sunday, have forced the Packers’ hand. They couldn’t rely only on the services of Green and Kuhn to carry the load.

Grant was signed earlier this year by the Washington Redskins after being out of football but played in just one game before being cut.

The Packers are hoping Ryan Grant will be able to step in quickly for the injured James Starks. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Last season Grant rushed for 559 yards and two touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 268 yards for the Packers.

In the five seasons that Grant played with the Packers, had 924 attempts for 4,016 yards (4.3 yard average) and 25 touchdowns. Grant is also a valuable receiver, having caught 92 passes for 726 yards.

Just how much Grant has left in the tank is yet to be seen, but he was about the only available running back on the street that the Packers could sign – his familiarity with the system and his popularity among players on the team should make his rejoining of the team seamless.

Ryan Grant is most likely moving on to another team, but has yet to be signed. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Ryan Grant, the former number one running back with the Green Bay Packers, has fallen off not only the Packers’ radar, but everyone else’s – or so it seems.

But in an interview recently with the National Football Post, Grant’s agent, Alan Herman, said. In fact, that Grant will be playing for a National Football League team before it’s said and done – but it most likely won’t be for the Packers.

The Packers’ leading rusher before his season-ending injury in 2010, Grant made a comeback last year and played side-by-side with fellow running back James Starks. In fact, running as a tandem for the team, Starks and Grant put up nearly identical numbers – Grant had 559 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 134 carries, while Starks had 578 and two touchdowns on one less rushing attempt before ending his year with a knee injury against Tampa Bay.

The Packers also lost last year’s rookie Alex Green midway through the year to a knee injury and ended the year playing Grant and rookie Brandon Saine.

Considered the best free agent running back available, Grant’s agent has said there have been some offers, but they haven’t been attractive enough for him. One of the teams interested is the Detroit Lions, but others mentioned have been the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and even his former team, the New York Giants.

Whomever takes a chance on Grant will get a 29-year-old running back who doesn’t have a lot of mileage on his legs. In my estimation, Grant has at least a couple more seasons in the tank. He can be a value to both the running game and the passing attack.

However, for the Packers, they must feel confident in moving ahead with Starks and Green, with Saine also in the mix – and because the role of the running back is becoming somewhat diminished in today’s pass-first offenses, re-signing a premier running back hasn’t become a priority for many teams.

But for Grant and his agent, they aren’t worried.

“He’s not upset. He’s not nervous,” Herman said. “We’re going to be patient and wait for the right opportunity.”

Ryan Grant has probably run his way out of Green Bay. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

A report today from one of my favorite Packers reporters, Paul Imig, indicates that if things weren’t looking good for Ryan Grant before, it just got worse.

Imig stated today on his Web post that the Packers have assigned the unsigned running back’s locker to wide receiver Diondre Borel. Ironically, Borel is also one of those young stud receivers who could also push Donald Driver, the franchise’s all-time leading receiver, from the roster.

The Packers have shown no interest in signing Grant and it seems no other team has been pounding down his door. There were reports that he was scheduled to pay a visit to the Detroit Lions and some even said he was ready to sign. However, nothing happened and it’s been all quiet on the Grant front since.

This is just another move (or non-move) that is slowly remaking the look and feel of the Packers’ roster.

Stay tuned …

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Ryan Grant has been a tough inside runner and a very good receiver out of the backfield for the Packers the past five years. However, it looks like his days in Green Bay are numbered. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Surely Packers brass aren’t going to come out and talk about it, but I feel there are more than a few reasons the team isn’t considering bringing running back Ryan Grant back to Green Bay.

However, for me, the tipping point was the fumble Grant gave up in the Divisional Playoff Game last January against the New York Giants. Though it wasn’t a game-changer and one of a bazillion turnovers the Packers gave up that day, I think the team leaders lost confidence in the running back who provided so much potential, but never really gave the team what they expected from a veteran. Throw in the fact that he will be demanding more than they want to pay him and the Packers will surely just let him walk.

Grant carried the ball 134 times last season for 559 yards (4.2 yard average) and two touchdowns last season. Not statistics one would point to as impressive for the team’s starting running back.

He has spent all five of his professional seasons with the Green Bay Packers and has overall been a valuable and productive player. The team acquired him in 2007 trade with the New York Giants and he was immediately thrust onto the field. He ran for 956 yards that season and then followed that with two straight 1,200 yard-plus seasons. In  2008, he ran for 1,203 yards and had another 1,200-plus season in 2009. An injury in the first game of the season at Philadelphia in 2010 not only hurt his career, but also put the team in a pickle until James Starks came alive late in the season to help lead the Packers to a Super Bowl.

Grant has run for 4,016 yards and a 4.3 yard average during his time in Green Bay and has also caught 92 passes for nearly 1,000 yards.

Needless to say, he’s been a valuable player … you could say he is a star. But his star power isn’t enough for the Packers to bring him back.

So, where does that leave the team? Well, not with much experience, that’s for sure. James Starks was a stud during the Packers’ Super Bowl run in 2010, but was injured again last year and hasn’t played an entire season yet. Alex Green, the team’s high draft choice last year is also coming off a knee injury and is yet to be seasoned. Brandon Saine showed some good hands and burst as a rookie last season and the team is most likely looking toward him to offer a third down alternative in 2012. Even fullback John Kuhn has been utilized as a running back in the past – he took over in the backfield in 2010 when Grant went down for the year with an injury and Brandon Jackson did nothing for the team.

Throw in these free agent signings: Duane Bennett from Minnesota, Marc Tyler from the University of Southern California, and Nicholas Cooper from Winston-Salem State, and one can see that the Packers have plenty of bodies, but very little experience.

Consider also that the Packers are a pass-first offense and one can see why Coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson are satisfied with what they have in-house and are not concerned with letting Grant walk.

The main concern for Packers fans, of course, is that Grant is poised to sign with the Detroit Lions. Many say let them have him and his veteran salary. But in the backs of everyone’s minds is the notion that Grant would come back to haunt the team. McCarthy and Thompson don’t seem to be concerned about that.

Would the Packers look for another veteran to sign should Grant move on? I doubt it. With the team’s philosophy of drafting and developing, it’s highly unlikely … there are plenty of horses in the stable to develop. This could be a breakout year for Starks and if Green comes back healthy he could add the potential for a one-two punch the Packers would need. Throw in the pass catching skills that Saine showed out of the backfield last season and the team could be OK at the position.

However, it’s a big “if.” Everyone has to stay healthy for it to come together.

If they don’t, people will point to the neglect of Grant as a mistake. If they do, everyone will ask, “Ryan who …?”

Here are Ryan Grant’s career statistics with the Packers:

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