They had to end up in dire straits to finally do something, but the Green Bay Packers have actually gone out and acquired that third running back we all knew they needed. The player is Knile Davis, who the Packers traded a conditional late-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for.
The Packers have had just two running backs — not counting fullback Aaron Ripkowski — on the roster since they released Jhurell Pressley prior to week 2. That limited depth was severely tested when James Starks went down with a knee injury last week and Eddie Lacy was forced to play against Dallas on an injured ankle.
Lacy didn’t finish that game and probably shouldn’t have been in it to begin with, but what choice did the Packers have? The failure of general manager Ted Thompson not to fill this position before didn’t really give them any other option.
And desperate times call for desperate measures. Not only did the Packers actually part with a draft pick in acquiring Davis, but it’s the first time Thompson has traded for someone since 2010. That guy was safety Anthony Smith, who Thompson acquired from Jacksonville for a conditional late-round pick.
So what do the Packers get in Knile Davis?
For one, he’s a guy who has hardly played this season. Davis has just one rush for negative 2 yards and two catches for 14. He was buried on the Chiefs’ depth chart behind Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West.
The most productive season of Davis’ four-year career was 2014, when he rushed for 463 yards and six touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 147 yards and another score. Davis can also return kicks and has a 27.2 career average and two touchdowns.
The question now becomes who are the Packers releasing to add Davis to the roster? Apparently, that’s what was holding this move up to begin with. They couldn’t decide who else to get rid of.