Green Bay Packers: Five players who must step up vs. Seahawks

Ty Montgomery

James Starks’ dancing at the line of scrimmage may see him headed for the bench. The veteran running back’s regression is evident, and the Packers need to look elsewhere in the backfield.

Christine Michael offered more energy and burst during his cameo last week, but he’s still in the process of picking up the Packers’ playbook. Until he can be trusted on passing downs, his role will remain limited.

Enter Ty Montgomery.

People will question whether he can handle a consistent workload of 20-plus carries per game. He’s a wide receiver, after all. I say forget that. Hand him the football. The 23-year-old has displayed good vision, strength to churn out extra yards between the tackles and is deadly in the open field. Montgomery can also pass protect.

Averaging 5.3 yards per carry, it defies belief he’s carried the ball just 35 times in 11 games. Maybe there are concerns with his sickle-cell trait, an issue that forced him to sit out of the Packers’ trip to Atlanta.

Montgomery’s emergence began against Seattle last year. He caught all four of his targets for 37 yards and first displayed his excellent yards-after-the-catch ability.

As both a running back and pass catcher, we need to see more of Ty Montgomery. He can be a difference maker on Sunday.