Packers Sign Patrick Taylor, James Robinson After Aaron Jones’ Injury
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the Green Bay Packers desperately needing some short-notice backfield help after losing Aaron Jones and Emanuel Wilson to injuries on Sunday, the team re-signed Patrick Taylor to the 53-man roster and re-signed veteran James Robinson to the practice squad on Monday.
Robinson and Taylor will provide instant depth where the Packers suddenly had none after the injuries to Jones and Wilson left them with only AJ Dillon in the backfield. Taylor figures to be the team’s No. 2 running back for the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions.
To make room for Taylor, the Packers released veteran safety Dallin Leavitt. Leavitt was flagged for holding on the opening kickoff return against the Chargers on Sunday. Upset with the call, he protested and bumped into an official, resulting in an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur was irate with Leavitt for costing the team about 25 yards of field position due to a lack of discipline unbecoming of a team leader.
Taylor signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and stuck with the team in some form or fashion through the first five games of this season.
This year, Taylor was beaten out by undrafted rookie Emanuel Wilson for a spot on the 53 during training camp, but he was signed to the practice squad and spent the early part of the season as the unofficial third back on the depth chart.
Taylor was elevated from the practice squad for three of the first four games, then signed to the 53-man roster for Week 5 at the Raiders, when Jones was out with a hamstring injury. Taylor was released after that game and landed on New England’s practice squad. That’s where the Packers grabbed him on Monday.
Having played in 27 games, Taylor returns to Green Bay with an extensive knowledge of the offense and the coaching staff has a comfort in turning to him. His best game in the NFL – 11 carries, 53 yards and his only career touchdown – came at Detroit in the 2021 finale.
Robinson is back on the practice squad, as first reported by Packer Central, where he can be elevated for Thursday.
Late in the first half of Sunday’s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, Jones was carted to the locker room with a knee injury. Not long after dropping off Jones to get his knee checked, the cart made a U-turn to pick up Wilson, who had sustained a shoulder injury.
That left AJ Dillon as the last man standing at running back – not an ideal situation against the Chargers and untenable situation headed into Thursday’s NFC North rivalry game against the first-place Lions.
Robinson recently spent three weeks on the practice squad but was released two weeks ago as the Packers swapped out the veteran Robinson for the rookie Ellis Merriweather.
Now, Robinson joins Merriweather as the potential backfield sidekicks to Dillon for Thanksgiving in Detroit.
Unlike Merriweather, Robinson has been there and done that. An undrafted free agent in 2020, he earned All-Rookie honors with the Jacksonville Jaguars with 1,070 rushing yards (4.5 average) and 49 receptions for 344 more yards. His 1,414 scrimmage yards were the most ever by an undrafted rookie running back.
Robinson spent 2020, 2021 and the first half of 2022 with the Jaguars. He was traded to the Jets midway through the 2022 season. He has not played in a game this season.
Perhaps Robinson has lost a step following the torn Achilles that ruined his 2021 season. But with 39 games and 32 starts under his belt, he’ll provide an experienced running back to give Dillon a break against the Lions.
With three weeks in Green Bay, he should be able to dive immediately into the game plan for Thursday’s game against the Lions. Given the short turnaround, the team will hold only walk-through practices this week, so an experienced player such as Robinson will be invaluable.
“I totally feel confident that, if he’s got to go in the game, he would give us some production based off of what I’ve seen so far without being live,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said recently.
Jones feared he had sustained a torn ACL but did not, so his absence will be more short-term in nature rather than season-ending. Wilson suffered his injury while stiff-arming a defender.
