Ty Montgomery doesn’t have to put up huge stats this year, and he’s probably not going to anyway.

This is not a knock on Ty Montgomery. He’s an excellent football player and will be a huge part of the Packers’ offense this year.

However, I don’t think his biggest contribution to the offense will be measured in yards.

Montgomery’s most important attribute is his ability to line up just about anywhere on the field. His skill set creates difficult match-ups for the defense in multiple ways, first in defending Montgomery himself, and then by the ripple effect of cascading changing match-ups across the formation.

In addition, Montgomery didn’t put up consistent volume numbers last year even as a full time running back. He only crossed the 50 yard mark three times, and he’ll need to average 50 yards a game to cross the 800 yard mark on the season.

On top of that, it’s unlikely we’re going to see Montgomery for a full season. He’s missed at least part of his first two seasons with an injury or illness and he’s never played running back for an entire season. It seems like a fair conclusion that he’s going to miss some time at some point this season.

But even if he doesn’t put up big numbers, Montgomery is going to be a key part of the Packers offense. His mere presence makes the rest of the players on offense better, and that’s the best possible contribution he can make.