Who's left on Packers' running back depth chart after injury to Aaron Jones and Emanuel Wilson?
The knee injury to Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones, followed quickly by the loss of backup Emanuel Wilson, left Green Bay with one running back and one running back only for the second half of Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers: AJ Dillon.
Dillon finished the game with 29 yards on 14 carries but also caught four passes for 32 yards.
Jones appears to have avoided long-term injury after he was carted to the locker room just before halftime, but it certainly doesn't look like he'll be available Thursday for the Thanksgiving clash in Detroit.
Said coach Matt LaFleur after Sunday's game, “I don’t think it’s long-term. It certainly looked bad. I was really concerned. Just seeing it live, I didn’t see a replay or anything, but seeing it live, it did not look good. But he’s in good spirits in there, so hopefully it’s a short-term thing.”
Wilson was then carted off with a shoulder injury after falling out of bounds. He wore a sling in the locker room after the game.
"I don’t think it looks good for him as well, either,” LaFleur said. “We’re gonna be a little short at the running back position, but that’s something we’ll figure out.”
So who's the next man up for the Packers?
UPDATE: This has been adjusted to reflect the Packers re-signing Patrick Taylor to the active roster and James Robinson to the practice squad.
Former Packers running back Patrick Taylor is back
Patrick Taylor had signed with the New England Patriots practice squad but was signed by the Packers Monday and placed on the 53-man roster.
Taylor, who has 11 carries and 31 rushing yards this season, was elevated from the Packers' practice squad three times early in the season, the maximum amount a team can elevate a player before it has to add him permanently to the 53-man roster. The Packers did that for the Oct. 9 game at Las Vegas but then released him the next day, and Taylor signed with the Patriots thereafter.
Ellis Merriweather and James Robinson are options on the practice squad
Three other running backs are on the practice squad, but only two make sense as Jones and Wilson replacements.
Ellis Merriweather, a rookie from UMass Amherst, attended the Packers rookie minicamp in May and was just signed to the practice squad Nov. 6. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints in May but was released Aug. 31. He ran the ball 150 times for 575 yards over 10 games in his final college season (2022) but did rush for more than 1,100 yards the year before.
James Robinson, an NFL veteran who was briefly with the Packers on the practice squad this season, was subsequently released and remained a free agent until Green Bay welcomed him back Monday, releasing linebacker Christian Young off the practice squad.
Another practice-squad member, Henry Pearson, technically counts as a fullback, one who signed as an undrafted free agent in May from Appalachian State. He had 74 receptions and 11 touchdowns in his college career, starting all 12 games last year as a tight end. In other words, he's not really a running back fit and would serve the role that Josiah Deguara currently does.
Can the Packers sign anyone else currently on a practice squad?
Yes, a player on another NFL practice squad can be signed, but he must immediately be given a spot on the 53-man roster.
Tyler Goodson is also on an NFL practice squad
Tyler Goodson, who was with the Packers on the practice squad last season and in camp this season, is on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. The Packers parted ways after Wilson won the No. 3 running back job out of camp this year. Goodson hasn't appeared in an NFL game, though he was elevated from the practice squad for one game last year.
Could veterans like Melvin Gordon or Leonard Fournette be an option?
Two current NFL practice-squad players with whom Packers fans are likely familiar are former Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon, 30, who's still on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, and former No. 4 overall draft pick Leonard Fournette, 28, who's on the Bills practice squad. Bills coach Sean McDermott has indicated Fournette could fit into the Bills' plans soon.
Kenyan Drake, 29, who has more than 3,800 career rushing yards in stints with Miami, Arizona, Las Vegas and Baltimore, is on the Browns practice squad.
Kassidy Hill contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Packers running back depth chart after Aaron Jones injury; who's left?
