The Green Bay Packers had plenty of tough decisions to make on Tuesday as teams were required to finalize their 53-man rosters. One of the toughest calls came at running back, where seven players were competing for a spot.
Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson were locks to make the roster, but there was some uncertainty about what the Packers would do behind them. They wound up retaining Chris Brooks on the active roster, placing MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve with the designation to return and releasing Israel Abanikanda, Amar Johnson, and Tyrion Davis-Price.
While many believed that Abanikanda and Johnson would wind up on the practice squad, the latter was not one of the 13 players that Green Bay chose to retain. The move was rather surprising after a strong preseason performance.
Packers surprisingly don't make room for preseason standout Amar Johnson on the practice squad
Johnson was one of the breakout stars of the preseason, as he finished with 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns -- one of which came on a 39-yard run -- on 22 carries, while adding two receptions for 21 yards. He was expected to be given one of the Packers' practice squad spots, but the organization decided that they had enough talent at the position.
Green Bay instead focused on filling two major needs, as 10 of its 13 practice squad players either played wide receiver or defense. While Johnson was not retained, it would not be a surprise to see him get an opportunity elsewhere.
His preseason proved that he is capable of being a playmaker at the NFL level, something he displayed during his college career. Johnson finished with 3,196 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on 537 carries while adding 57 receptions for 518 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed on special teams as he returned 21 kickoffs for 440 yards.
Despite his strong play, it was always going to be hard to crack the Packers roster as running back is a position of depth -- with a Pro Bowler in Josh Jacobs leading the pack and receiving the bulk of the carries.
Green Bay does have several openings on the practice squad and could theoretically choose to bring Johnson back. They will likely, however, continue to fill positions of need, whether that is along the defense or in a wide receiver room that has been depleted by injuries during training camp.