We thought the Green Bay Packers were looking to trade James Starks. And maybe they are, but Alex Green is the guy hearing his name mentioned as trade bait.
It became pretty clear Green is the guy at the bottom of the Packers running back depth chart, Friday night. At least as far as the established players go. Green was the third man in, behind Starks and rookie Johnathan Franklin. Neither second-round pick Eddie Lacy or the guy who ended last season as the starter, DuJuan Harris, played because of injury.
So that means Green is actually No. 5 in line. And he didn’t do anything to move up (or look good to a potential trade partner, for that matter) in the Packers loss to Arizona.
Green gained 16 yards on seven carries against the Cardinals scrubs. That’s a meager 2.3 per run.
For now, Green is taking the one-day-at-a-time approach.
“That’s all I can do,” Green said. “I’m just trying to take it day by day while I’m here. I’m trying not to look too far into the future.”
If the Packers can’t trade Green, that future might involve him getting cut. There’s no way the team is going to keep five running backs. In fact, they’ll be pressed to keep four.
Since Lacy and Franklin are all but guaranteed roster spots, that leaves Harris, Green and Starks competing to make the team.
Just this week, coach Mike McCarthy said he considers Harris the No. 1 back, although Lacy will probably eventually take that job.
The point is, Green will probably find himself playing elsewhere soon, one way or another.