Ty Montgomery says No. ‘88 is unique.’ So is the Packers running back.

Green Bay Packers running back and receiver Ty Montgomery is like a Swiss army knife. He is dangerous on the perimeter as a receiver and dangerous out of the backfield. Montgomery didn’t start the season taking handoffs, though.

A day after the Packers’ 38-10 victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, head coach Mike McCarthy announced that Montgomery would be one of the team’s running backs. He ran for 41 yards and a touchdown in that game.

Indeed, Montgomery is a unique player, but his jersey number is, too.

He wears No. 88, which is unique because that is not a running back number. The 23-year-old said he will continue wearing No. 88 for the rest of the season. The NFL ruled that players cannot change numbers midseason.

Even though he enjoys his time in the backfield, Montgomery did not say whether or not he wanted to switch to the running back position next season. He just wants to help the offense in any possible way.

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I don’t know, 88 is unique, but it’d be cool to get a running back number so we’ll see.”

At 6’0, 216 pounds, Montgomery is no stranger to the running back position. That used to be his position before he played in high school. Because his high school ran a pass-heavy offense, he had to switch to receiver.

“My ball coach in high school asked me if I would play receiver to help. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do anything to play varsity.’ He was like, ‘To be honest, we’re not going to run the ball so we’re just going to have you play receiver.’ I was like ‘OK.’”

No matter where he is on the field, opposing defenses must watch out for Montgomery. So far this season, he has 390 rushing yards and 314 receptions yards. He is averaging 6.5 yards per rush and has three rushing touchdowns.

In Green Bay’s 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears, Montgomery ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns, but he also averaged 10.1 yards per attempt.

At 8-6, Green Bay is one game back from the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North. The Packers have a Week 16 matchup against a divisional foe in the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.

If Green Bay wants to walk away with a victory, it must get Montgomery involved early.