Mike McCarthy hints Ty Montgomery could be Packers' No. 1 RB
The Green Bay Packers are extremely thin at running back with Eddie Lacy and James Starks out of the picture. That leaves Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael atop the depth chart, which is essentially what the Packers had toward the end of the season.
Neither has proved he can be a consistent starter for the entirety of a 16-game season, but the Packers may be forced to experiment with that possibility in 2017. Coach Mike McCarthy hinted that Montgomery could be the man for the job this week at the annual owners meetings, saying he can be a No. 1 back.
“I think Ty definitely has that ability,” McCarthy said, via ESPN.
The biggest question now becomes whether Montgomery can stay healthy all year. He played 15 games last season, but in 2015 he missed time with an ankle injury. He played just six games, and that was as a receiver.
Being a running back requires greater toughness and durability with all the hits he’s going to be taking. That doesn’t mean Montgomery can’t stay healthy, but it’s something McCarthy will have to take into account.
“Obviously, it’s a very heavy-lifting position, so availability will be Ty’s No. 1 statistic,” McCarthy said. “He’s a very talented young man, very bright, obviously understands the whole perimeter part of the offense now, so his utilization and the variation that he gives us as far as alignments and assignments and the different things that he can do will definitely benefit us as far as our offensive scheme. He just needs to have a great offseason ... but this is a big opportunity for him.
