Earlier this week, we were blessed with three interesting options at the quarterback position in the voting for APC’s All-21st Century (so far)team. The running back group, however, is even more loaded.
Voters will have the pleasure of choosing between the Green Bay Packers’ first-, third-, and sixth-leading rushers in team history among a host of other options, all of whom made an impact on the team in their own way. Let’s get started and meet the contenders.
Running back nominees
Note: All stats shown are as a member of the Green Bay Packers only, from the 2000 through 2024 seasons only.
Ahman Green (2000-06, 2009)
4x Pro Bowler
Regular season stats: 1,851 carries for 8,322 yards and 54 touchdowns (4.5 yards per carry); 350 receptions for 2,726 yards and 14 touchdowns (7.8 yards per reception); 34 fumbles
Postseason stats: 119 carries for 521 yards and three touchdowns (4.4 per carry); 21 receptions for 146 yards (7.0 yards per reception), one fumble
In terms of volume production, Ahman Green is as good as it gets. He’s the team’s career leader in rushing yards and ranks a respectable 20th in receiving yards, which is pretty solid considering the wealth of great pass catchers in Packers history. And on top of that, Green’s 1,883 yards in 2003 represents the best single-season rushing total in the team’s lengthy annals.
Arriving via trade prior to the 2000 season, Green’s career totals might be even higher had he not split time with the fading Dorsey Levens early in his Packers career. But after splitting time with Levens that year, Green took over the starting gig full time in 2001, earning the first of four straight Pro Bowl nods that year. Had Green not played the bulk of his career at the same time as other great runners like Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jamaal Lewis, he’d probably have earned at least one All-Pro nod.
Green’s raw productivity is hard to argue against, but if there’s one mark against him it’s his fumbling. Across eight seasons in Green Bay, Green fumbled 34 times in the regular season, averaging one fumble about every 65 touches. That’s significantly worse than Aaron Jones, also a bit loose with the football at times, who averaged one fumble about ever 85 regular season touches. But Green’s prolific productivity elsewhere may be enough to offset that one, albeit significant, criticism.
Aaron Jones (2017-23)
1x Pro-Bowler
Regular season stats: 1,177 carries for 7,078 yards and 50 touchdowns (5.0 yards per carry); 272 receptions for 2,076 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns (7.6 yards per carry); 20 fumbles
Postseason stats: 104 carries for 511 yards and seven touchdowns (4.9 yards per carry); 24 receptions for 202 yards and one touchdown (8.4 yards per reception); two fumbles
A diminutive dynamo, Aaron Jones far outplayed his draft status, climbing from a day three pick in 2017 to become one of the Packers’ greatest offensive players in the 21st century, and maybe ever. Jones logged three 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay, and while he never had the truly massive season Green did, he arguably did more with less. Jones’ three 1,000-yard seasons came on just 236, 201, and 213 carries, respectively. He averaged above 5.0 yards per carry four times in his Packers’ career, including a league-leading 5.5 per carry in 2018. He also led the league in rushing and overall touchdowns in 2019, scoring 16 times on the ground and 19 overall.
Jones’ productivity in Green Bay might have proved Mike McCarthy right in some ways. Criticized for not playing Jones enough in the two years he shepherded the young back, McCarthy may have provided something of a blueprint for how to manage his minus-sized ballcarrier. Through careful management, the Packers doubtless extended Jones’ career, allowing him to survive and thrive well into his late-20s, even now as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Though Jones was more careful with the ball than Green, we must note he’s responsible for two of the most costly plays in recent Packers history, one of which was a fumble. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFC Championship, Jones fumbled deep in Packers territory, setting the Buccaneers up for an easy score. Then, in the 2021 playoffs, Jones broke free on a massive catch and run shortly before the half, but inexplicably tried to cut back inside late in the play rather than run out of bounds, forcing the Packers to burn their final timeout and eliminate the opportunity to realistically try for a touchdown rather than a field goal — a field goal that was ultimately blocked, possibly costing the Packers a playoff victory.
Ryan Grant (2007-12)
Regular season stats: 956 carries for 4,148 yards and 27 touchdowns (4.3 yards per carry); 93 receptions for 760 yards and two touchdowns (8.3 yards per reception); eight fumbles
Postseason stats: 66 carries for 334 yards and three touchdowns (5.1 yards per carry); nine receptions for 54 yards (6.0 yards per reception); two fumbles
Grant burned short and bright in Green Bay, compiling 2.5 legitimately great seasons for the Packers in his six years in the NFL. Taking over as a starter midway through the 2007 season, Grant averaged just under 93 yards per game down the stretch. That was just a precursor to his 2008 and 2009 seasons, putting up back-to-back 1,200 yard campaigns to help Aaron Rodgers through his first two seasons as a starter.
Unfortunately, a terrible ankle injury during the Packers’ first game of the 2010 season robbed the Packers not only of their premier running back, but also took away Grant’s chance to be a core player on a Super Bowl team. He’d split time with James Starks in 2011 then spent a brief stint with Washington in 2012 before returning to the Packers late that season.
Grant probably doesn’t have the juice to compete with Ahman Green and Aaron Jones, but that shouldn’t take anything away from how impressive his peak was.
Eddie Lacy (2013-16)
1x Pro Bowler, 2013 Offensive Rookie of the Year
Regular season stats: 788 carries for 3,435 yards and 23 touchdowns (4.4 yards per carry); 107 receptions for 947 yards and six touchdowns (8.9 yards per reception); eight fumbles
Postseason stats: 85 carries for 407 yards and one touchdown (4.8 yards per carry); 5 receptions for 19 yards (3.8 yards per reception); one fumble
Lacy offers two things no one else on this list can: unmatched power and the most impressive individual accolade. The power was obvious: in his prime, no other back in this group could match the raw ferocity with which Lacy carried the ball. Just ask poor Robert Blanton what it was like to meet Lacy head on when he’d built up steam.
For his prolific power and outstanding work carrying the load for the Packers while Aaron Rodgers was out with the first of two broken collarbones, Lacy was awarded the 2013 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Lacy is also underrated as a receiver, averaging nearly nine yards per catch over his Packers career; adept on screens, Lacy took a couple of screen passes for long scores during the Packers’ outstanding 2014 season — though that year would end, in part, because Lacy and the Packers couldn’t seal the deal inside the five-yard line in the NFC Championship.
Unfortunately, Lacy’s career would be as short as it was impressive. Lacy was already banged up when he arrived in Green Bay (at least one scouting outlet called him a “one contract” NFL player), and a bevy of injuries and a career-long weight issue shortened his career. But Lacy’s productivity really never wavered, even as he dealt with these problems. Even in his final season in Green Bay, Lacy was averaging 5.1 yards per carry prior to his final injury — the best mark of his career.
James Starks (2010-16)
Regular season stats: 618 carries for 2,506 yards and nine touchdowns (4.1 yards per carry); 125 receptions for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns (8.1 yards per reception); 11 fumbles
Postseason stats: 121 carries for 523 yards and two touchdowns (4.3 per carry); 15 receptions for 68 yards (4.5 yards per reception); no fumbles
A sixth round pick in 2010, James Starks made his name as a playoff hero during the Packers’ Super Bowl run that year. Taking over down the stretch for an injured Ryan Grant, Starks rushed for more than 300 yards during the Packers’ four-game postseason jaunt, including a 123-yard performance against the Eagles in the Wildcard Round.
Starks never parlayed that run into a full-time starting gig, though. Between injuries and inconsistent performance, Starks was limited to just 13 starts in his Packers career, never starting more than four games in a season. His best season came in 2015, when he racked up 601 yards as Eddie Lacy’s sidekick. An off-field concussion ended his Packers career in 2016.
AJ Dillon (2020-24)
Regular season stats: 597 carries for 2,428 yards and 16 touchdowns (4.1 yards per carry); 86 receptions for 763 yards and two touchdowns (8.9 yards per reception); three fumbles
Postseason stats: 16 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown (4.3 yards per carry); one reception for 13 yards; one fumble
A 2020 second round pick, Dillon never really lived up to the promise afforded to him by his draft slot or prodigious athleticism, ending his career in Green Bay as a perpetual backup, albeit one who did lead the team in rushing one season.
That year was 2021, when Dillon’s 801 yards were tops on the Packers, narrowly beating out Aaron Jones, who managed just 799 yards.
That stands as Dillon’s lone noteworthy accomplishment in Green Bay, who finished his Packers tenure by missing the entire 2024 season due to a preseason injury. He ended his time in Green Bay with fewer career rushing yards than Aaron Rodgers, hardly the career anyone hoped for when the Packers selected him 62nd overall in 2020.
Jamaal Williams (2017-20)
Regular season stats: 500 attempts for 1,985 yards and 10 touchdowns (4.0 yards per carry); 122 receptions for 961 yards and eight touchdowns (7.9 yards per reception); zero fumbles
Postseason stats: 23 carries for 97 yards (4.2 yards per reception); seven receptions for 32 yards (4.6 yards per reception)
The Packers actually selected Jamaal Williams ahead of Aaron Jones in the 2017 NFL Draft, but after spending most of the 2017 season ahead of Jones on the depth chart, Williams ultimately was relegated to a sidekick role for most of their time together.
That doesn’t mean Williams’ time in Green Bay wasn’t interesting. Reliably providing the thunder to Jones’ lightning, Williams was a noteworthy power option for the Packers during his time in Green Bay in addition to offering numerous colorful soundbites during interviews.
Williams topped out at 556 rushing yards during his rookie season, but his real claim to fame in Green Bay probably is his ball security. On 652 career touches, including playoffs, Williams never put the ball on the ground.
Poll
Who was the best Packers running back of 2000-2024
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Ahman Green
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Aaron Jones
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Ryan Grant
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Eddie Lacy
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A.J. Dillon
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Jamaal Williams
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0 votes total Vote Now