Ty Montgomery was a pleasant surprise at running back for the Green Bay Packers after transitioning from wide receiver last season.
The former Stanford pass-catcher averaged 5.9 yards per rush and put up over 800 total yards. He was forced into action due to injuries to both Eddie Lacy and James Starks. This led to Montgomery making the full-time transition to running back during the offseason.
Throughout this entire process, it seemed Montgomery was a lock to start in the backfield with Aaron Rodgers in 2017. That no longer appears to be the case now that training camp itself has kicked offf and the team’s preseason opener is on the horizon.
“Fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams appears to be pushing Ty Montgomery,” ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported Thursday. “He took the first running back snaps with the starters in a team period. The coaches have praised his pass-protection ability, which Montgomery is still learning.”
Williams, a former standout at BYU, is coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him put up 1,455 total yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per rush for the Cougars.
Despite Montgomery’s solid performance last year, Green Bay didn’t have the necessary balance on offense to be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It ranked 20th in total rushing yards and put up the fourth-fewest rush attempts in the NFL last year.
For his part, the 6-foot, 213-pound Williams averaged over 23 rush attempts for BYU last season. He’s more than proven that he has the physical make up to be a three-down back. Whether that happens as a rookie will be dependent on how Williams performs during the preseason.