Accordingly Sports illustratedAccording to Bill Huber, the Green Bay Packers will re-sign running back Nate McCrary, who they signed to get out of a tight spot in last training camp. McCrary most recently played for the Michigan Panthers in the United Football League, where he rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries during the regular season.
McCrary’s first stint with the Packers was just over a year ago when he was released by the Cleveland Browns — funnily enough, the team that had just beaten Green Bay in the first game of the preseason. After three weeks in the Packers’ training camp, McCrary was released by the Green Bay Packers, which eventually led to a week-long stint on the Browns’ practice squad before resurfacing in the UFL. Last preseason, McCrary had 11 carries for 37 yards, which ranked him behind only Emanuel Wilson, AJ Dillon and Patrick Taylor Jr. among Packers running backs.
Green Bay is currently struggling at the position. Third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd may not be ready for the regular season after suffering a hamstring injury in the first week of preseason. Additionally, running back Jarveon Howard (unknown) missed Tuesday’s practice.
Because the Packers have already stated that they will not use their starters on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, Josh Jacobs did not play in the game. Before McCrary was signed, this meant that AJ Dillon, Emanuel Wilson and Ellis Merriweather would be the healthy unit against Denver. For comparison, the Packers ran 34 times in Week 1 of the preseason and Merriweather only carried the ball twice, in case you’re wondering what they think of the reserve running back.
Hence the signing of McCrary.
The Packers also signed linebacker Chris Russell, a college teammate of second-round rookie Edgerrin Cooper, on Tuesday. The team has not yet made any corresponding roster moves, but Green Bay was already at the 91-man limit. That means general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to send some guys home, possibly with injury compensation. If the Packers go the injury compensation route, Howard, defensive end Deslin Alexandre (leg) and defensive end Keshawn Banks (groin) are the top candidates.
