Packers RB Eddie Lacy’s ankle injury reportedly worse than feared

The Packers had serious depth issues at running back, so there wasn’t necessarily much reason to look too deeply into their trade for Knile Davis on Tuesday. Apparently Eddie Lacy’s ankle might have been worse than initially feared though, no doubt motivation to get a deal done before news broke on the full extent of the injury.

Ian Rapoport for the NFL Network is reporting Lacy’s injury is expected to keep the fourth-year running back out of action for several weeks, adding that whatever is keeping him out is “worse than a sprained ankle.”

The news is very disappointing for the Packers, as Lacy was off to one of the best starts of his career. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher had 360 yards rushing through five games, including a career high 5.1 average, although no touchdowns so far.

Further complicating matters in Green Bay’s backfield is the injury to backup James Starks, who is expected to miss about four weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Prior to trading for Davis, the only other back of any kind on the 53-man roster was fullback Aaron Ripkowski, so clearly the Packers are not done making moves here.

The extended absence of both Lacy and Starks would seem to raise Davis’ profile a bit moving forward. Obviously, the fourth-year running back from the Kansas City Chiefs was always intended to be a temporary stopgap or role player at best. However, Davis could be the feature back in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.

At least until either Lacy or Starks can come back. Neither sounds close to returning though, so get ready to see a healthy dose of Davis.