The Green Bay Packers are planning on using more of a running game this season, but after news came down that DuJuan Harris will be out for the year with a knee injury, things got a bit tougher and now Alex Green, Eddie Lacy, James Starks and Jonathan Franklin will be the primary backs for Mike McCarthy.
According to Pro Football Talk, Harris was listed as the starter on the depth chart and now that role will likely be assumed by Starks, Green or Lacy, despite him being a rookie. The Packers drafted both Lacy and Franklin to help add to the running game and Harris showed that he could handle things after the way he played at the end of last season and now it is almost a guarantee that the main running backs all make it through roster cuts.
The team is placing Harris on injured reserve after he injured a tendon in his knee and the injury happened after the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Lacy was already expected to be one of the primary backs and now Franklin likely will step into that role as well. The Packers have been inconsistent when it comes to a running game over the past few seasons and the team hasn't had a 100-yard rusher in what feels like forever.
The last time they did it was back in 2010 against the Redskins with Brandon Jackson and now the streak is at over 40 games. McCarthy is hoping to change that and with Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson stepping up with James Jones after the loss of Greg Jennings, the team could be very explosive. The team is one of the best passing units in the league, but after ranking 27th in the league, McCarthy will try to work his magic in the rushing game.