There have been many questions surrounding the rushing attack of the Green Bay Packers this offseason. Will Eddie Lacy return to the team a year after an injury derailed what looked like his best season? Would the Packers really be willing to spend a first round draft pick on a guy like Christian McCaffrey? If not, would the Packers turn to free agents like Adrian Peterson or Latavius Murray for help? But there's one question that nobody is asking: Does the Packers run game really matter?
Lack of a Run Game?
In his career, Aaron Rodgers hasn't had the greatest complement of running backs.
In fact, Eddie Lacy's seasons as a runner in 2013 and 2014, in which he recorded more than 1000 rushing yards and double digit touchdowns, were the best performances of any Packers running back in the Rodgers era. James Starks, Alex Green, and Ryan Grant simply didn't get the job done.
That lack of a rushing attack didn't even matter in 2011, when the Packers defeated the Steelers in the Super Bowl 31-25. James Starks was the leading rusher with just 52 yards on 11 carries. During the regular season that year, Ryan Grant was the leading rusher with a touch over 550 rushing yards. Those are tiny numbers for a starting running back in the NFL.
Running Back as a Priority?
In the Packers Super Bowl season, the rushing attack barely mattered.
Green Bay instead relied on the talent of Aaron Rodgers and elite wide receivers like Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings to get the job done. The defense was also opportunistic, taking advantage of mistakes when they were made. In the playoffs this season, the Packers defense struggled to slow down the Falcons and was consistently demolished each possession, unable to stop Matt Ryan and all his weapons.
It's fair to wonder if the Packers should place an emphasis on the running back position when they didn't really need one for their Super Bowl run. Green Bay may want to address issues that can be corrected on defense before giving Aaron Rodgers a weapon he didn't even need in the past. Eddie Lacy might be a question mark, but Rodgers will always be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, who needs a solid defense to help him out. It would be wise for the Packers to prioritize defense before finding their next starting running back in the draft or free agency.
