It won’t be long before the Green Bay Packers and all 31 other teams have to make the difficult decisions to trim the roster down to just 53 players. Year after year, we see teams cut players who we all were sure were safe from that quick, life-altering meeting.
The Packers might have one player who fits that situation better than any other in their running back group. Led by veteran Josh Jacobs, behind him are a trio of young depth pieces jockeying for position to get the limited touches left in the offense. Of course, most of those touches will go to last year’s third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd, who missed almost all of his rookie season due to injury.
That leaves Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks battling for the RB3 spot in the depth chart and fighting for what could be the final roster spot at the position during training camp.
Packers' RB3 battle could come down to fine margins, and Emanuel Wilson may surprisingly miss out
It’s a real toss-up for either player. They are separated by just seven months in age, with Brooks being the younger player. Both were brought into the league as undrafted free agents, though Wilson has spent both of his NFL seasons in Green Bay while Brooks was in Miami for his rookie year.
They also have the same contract value, earning $1.3 million this season. If it came down to business decisions, Brooks has a tiny edge because youth is so valuable at the position and the net-neutral impact of their contracts.
Wilson has more of an edge on the production side, though only in total numbers. He put up 502 yards and four touchdowns on 103 carries last season while playing roughly 80 more offensive snaps than Brooks. Brooks had just 183 yards and a lone touchdown on 36 carries. Brooks was more efficient, though, averaging 5.1 yards per carry compared to Wilson’s 4.9.
Naturally, if the Packers decide to carry four running backs, then the situation becomes a moot point. Wilson and Brooks would both make the roster in that instance and serve as depth pieces should Jacobs or Lloyd miss any time during the season.
However, there’s no guarantee the Packers would want to do that. After all, Jacobs played a full 17-game slate last year while playing 63 percent of the snaps, and Lloyd is starting the season with a clean bill of health.
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If the Packers decide to stick with just three backs after camp, Wilson could be the surprise cut despite his solid production last season.
While Wilson has been with the franchise longer and had the better stats last season, the Packers just need reliable depth behind their top two guys, not a triumvirate of their best players. They could opt for the slightly more efficient, slightly younger player in Brooks in that case.
Nonetheless, Wilson’s experience in the offense and production in place of Lloyd last year could have earned him the third string on the depth chart already, in which case, Brooks would be the odd man out.
It’s an intriguing depth battle to keep an eye on this training camp, regardless. How their rep counts stack up over the next month could be the biggest indicator of what the team has planned for its depth at running back.