After last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, many NFL media types openly wondered if Ty Montgomery would be out in Green Bay – either via trade or be cut. That wasn’t without merit, as Montgomery was traded to the Baltimore Ravens just prior to the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday. In exchange, the Packers will receive a seventh-round draft pick in 2020, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ravens are trading a 7th-round pick in 2020 draft to Packers for Ty Montgomery, per source. Packers clearly wanted to move on, and so did Montgomery.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2018
Montgomery drew the ire of Packer fans after he brought a kick return out of the end zone in the finals minutes of the game against L.A. He ultimately fumbled, the Rams recovered and preserved a two-point victory.
After the game, there was a lot of off-the-record reports that Packer players were upset with Montgomery’s decision to try and return the kick. Especially since, as has been reported, the coaching staff gave Montgomery specific orders to take the touchback if the kick wound up in the end zone, which it did. Prior to that, Montgomery was apparently visibly angry with the same coaching staff after being taken out during Green Bay’s offensive drive.
Green Bay drafted Ty Montgomery out of Stanford with the 94th overall pick in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In college, he was utilized in a myriad of ways. As a pro prospect, many moved him down their draft boards because he didn’t project neatly to one position. The Packers used him as a wide receiver early on. But moved him to running back in 2016 after a rash of injuries left them no other good options. He’s played exclusively out of the backfield ever since, making for a unique visual in the NFL: as a receiver, Montgomery chose number 88. After switching positions, seeing 88 listed as a running back and playing out of the backfield struck many fans as an odd look.
As far as the Baltimore side, they could use playmakers across the offense, so it remains to be seen how and where Montgomery will line up for them. He could return to more of a Swiss Army knife role much like that of his college days.
For his career, the 25-year-old has 177 rush attempts for 849 yards and 97 catches for 827 yards with 10 touchdowns combined.
