Ty Montgomery prefers being Packers’ top running back than 5th receiver

Ty Montgomery made a surprisingly great transformation from a wide receiver struggling for snaps into the premier running back for the Packers. Now, he’s got an offseason to improve his skills at running back in one of the top offenses in the NFL.

Montgomery doesn’t mind that the careers of NFL running backs are among the shortest in the league. He’d rather be productive on the field.

“If running back gives me that, then I’d rather play [6 to 8] years in the league ... having a successful career and having a lot of fun doing it and not always battling to be somebody’s fourth, fifth, or sixth receiver, even if it meant a [10 to 12-] year career,” he said Tuesday, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

Week 7 proved to be where Montgomery’s career would change for the better. The Packers’ coaching staff was forced to move him to running back. Eddie Lacy’s injured ankle put him out for the season after Week 5, and no other useful options remained in the couple of weeks after. From then on, Montgomery ended up leading the Packers in rushing with 457 yards and three touchdowns.

This offseason, he’s been learning how to play the position more strategically.

“I was running a lot on instincts. I knew where I was supposed to be going, but it was instinct,” Montgomery said. “Now, I know techniques. I know rotations and linebacker positions, and fronts and understanding gap rules and what the defense is supposed to be doing.”

He added that he’s also started to train like a running back, especially when it comes to lifting.

Running backs coach Ben Sirmans has been busy in making sure Montgomery is adjusting well, as teams will now be able to prepare for him in 2017.

“Everybody knows who he is now,” Sirmans said. “So now when they’re looking at us on film and preparing for us, they know who Ty Montgomery is. They know what he can do. Like I told him, the only thing we can do from this point on is keep enhancing the skill sets that he has.”

A trio of draft picks — Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones, and Devante Mays — will be competing in the Packers’ backfield this offseason. Yet as of right now, it’s Montgomery’s spot to lose.

Last season, Montgomery stepped up when the Packers needed him most and it led to an unexpected change in his career. Now with an offseason to commit to improving at the position, he could become even better in 2017.