GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Since Aaron Jones went down with a knee injury on Nov. 12, his replacement, Jamaal Williams, ranks sixth among all NFL running backs in total yards from scrimmage.
In the four weeks before that, when Jones was the Green Bay Packers’ No. 1 running back, he ranked sixth among all NFL running backs in rushing yards.
So what are the Packers to do if Jones, who returned to the practice field on Wednesday, is cleared to play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Aaron Jones (knee) was on the field for the first time since his Nov. 12 knee injury. Original timeline was 3-6 weeks so he could be on the early end.
While coach Mike McCarthy probably doesn’t want to use one running back as extensively as he used Williams against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday -- the rookie played all but 10 of the offensive snaps in the 31-28 loss and was clearly the focal point of the game plan -- a running back by committee doesn’t seem like the way to go, either, considering both players have been at their best when they’ve been the workhorse back.
“I think it’s like anything, it’s the course of the season,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, players are working, preparing and they all want opportunities. I think really the focus for Jamaal is he’s been given more opportunities and has been extremely productive with it. With that, you keep moving forward and you keep giving him the chances that he’s earned. I mean our health, particularly in the running back group, it speaks for itself. We’ve just got to keep playing.”
Jones, a rookie fifth-round pick, is on the extreme early end of his recovery timeline, but shortly after the injury, he confidently stated that he would "definitely" play again this season.
McCarthy put Jones in the “trial return” category before Wednesday’s practice. Ty Montgomery, who is still dealing with a rib injury, did not practice. Devante Mays, a rookie seventh-round pick, did not play from scrimmage against the Steelers a week after he fumbled on his first two career NFL runs a week earlier, in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Montgomery, Jones and Williams have nearly identical workloads when it comes to carries. Montgomery has carried 71 times; Jones and Williams each have 70 carries. Jones easily has the best average at 5.3 yards per carry -- more than two full yards better than Williams (3.2) and 1.5 better than Montgomery (3.8). But Williams and Montgomery both have been more productive in the passing game. Williams has 13 catches for 152 yards (including a 54-yard touchdown on a screen pass against the Steelers) and Montgomery, a converted receiver, has 23 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. Jones has eight catches for 16 yards.