New Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was talking to the media about wanting to get running backs more involved in the passing game yesterday. Music to the ears of those hoping to invest in Aaron Jones, as that production would help his value. He and the team's backs were underused in that capacity a year ago.
Only five teams didn't have a running back catch 30 passes a year ago. Green Bay was one of them, with Jones and Jamaal Williams each catching just 27. The expectation is that Jones will now get most of the chances in those situations, and with that opportunity and more of a commitment to involving running backs in that area, he'll see a nice uptick in value.
Last season, Packers running backs combined to account for only 13 percent of the team's receiving yards. That was a bottom-5 figure.
| TEAM RUNNING BACK RECEIVING, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | RBYds | TmYds | %Yds |
| Chicago | 965 | 3747 | 26% |
| LA Chargers | 1050 | 4316 | 24% |
| Jacksonville | 791 | 3431 | 23% |
| New England | 999 | 4405 | 23% |
| Carolina | 919 | 4071 | 23% |
| New Orleans | 903 | 4174 | 22% |
| Arizona | 603 | 2884 | 21% |
| Oakland | 839 | 4057 | 21% |
| Miami | 670 | 3309 | 20% |
| Detroit | 753 | 3844 | 20% |
| NY Giants | 860 | 4405 | 20% |
| Buffalo | 588 | 3082 | 19% |
| Washington | 613 | 3287 | 19% |
| San Francisco | 781 | 4247 | 18% |
| Kansas City | 922 | 5126 | 18% |
| Denver | 700 | 3930 | 18% |
| NY Jets | 599 | 3404 | 18% |
| Cleveland | 712 | 4261 | 17% |
| Dallas | 640 | 3885 | 16% |
| Cincinnati | 555 | 3569 | 16% |
| Tennessee | 499 | 3255 | 15% |
| Seattle | 509 | 3448 | 15% |
| Philadelphia | 660 | 4524 | 15% |
| Pittsburgh | 752 | 5174 | 15% |
| LA Rams | 676 | 4730 | 14% |
| Indianapolis | 616 | 4595 | 13% |
| Minnesota | 563 | 4298 | 13% |
| Green Bay | 601 | 4629 | 13% |
| Baltimore | 454 | 3708 | 12% |
| Atlanta | 471 | 4949 | 10% |
| Houston | 380 | 4165 | 9% |
| Tampa Bay | 439 | 5358 | 8% |
Note that LaFleur's last offense, Tennessee, wasn't dramatically better in this area. Running backs accounted for just 15 percent of the team's receiving yards for the Titans. So maybe talk is cheap. Of course, the Titans leaned on Derrick Henry and the run game late last season, with Dion Lewis catching more passes the first half of the season (33) than the second (26). Different team now, and LaFleur might have different ideas of what will work with Aaron Rodgers than Marcus Mariota.
We'll see if Jones ultimately benefits. The Packers could use Williams for those chances. Sixth-rounder Dexter Williams is another possibility (though he caught only 16 passes at Notre Dame last year). And maybe Rodgers goes off freelancing jamming it into Davante Adams rather than following LaFleur's game script, as some speculative recent chatter has suggested.
In any case, Jones looks like an appealing breakout candidate in the Packers offense. That's even more likely if he's more involved as a receiver.
--Andy Richardson