The Green Bay Packers have made a change atop their depth chart, as James Starks will supplant Eddie Lacy as the team’s starting running back going forward.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced the change on Wednesday.
“He’s played very well, he’s earned that opportunity,” McCarthy said of Starks. “I’m not a big believer in just riding one running back the whole season. We’ll stay with the 1-2 punch.”
After two extremely productive seasons as the starter, Lacy has struggled this season, collecting just 308 yards on the ground. Starks has 334 yards on five fewer carries.
Lacy left Sunday’s game against Carolina with an injury, but has practiced this week without problems, so this move appears to be strictly football-related. He’s also been dogged with whispers about his weight. Starks has simply had the bigger games and been the better running back for Green Bay this season, so reputations aside, this looks like a smart move for a struggling offense, though we’ll see how the team chooses to split the carries.
