Team sources tell Jason Cole of B/R that Packers RB Eddie Lacy looked sluggish during his career best 61-yard run against the Cardinals. Beyond that, the team thought he looked slow overall and lacked power throughout the game.
Cole mentions that Green Bay was hoping that Lacy was going to take the next step and become an elite running back in 2015. However, he showed up out of shape and overweight during the offseason, and wasn’t able to get into playing shape during the year.
Packers HC Mike McCarthy made it clear on Monday that Lacy will need to focus on his conditioning in 2016.
“He’s got a lot of work to do,” McCarthy said. “His offseason last year was not good enough and he never recovered from it. He cannot play at the weight he played at this year.”
Cole believes Lacy’s future with the Packers could ultimately be in question if he doesn’t address these concerns next year.
Lacy, 25, will have plenty to play for in 2016 as he’ll be entering the final year of his four-year, $3.392 million rookie contract that included a $847,208 signing bonus.
He’ll make a base salary $867,602 for the 2016 season.
In 2015, Lacy appeared in 15 games and ran for 758 yards on 187 carries (4.1 YPC) to go along with 20 receptions for 188 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 15 running back out of 68 qualifying players.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
