James Starks

DuJuan Harris showed a lot of potential, but the Packers aren't blind to the fact he's 5-7 and 208 pounds. He held up well averaging 10 carries a game, but that's a far cry from the 250 to 300 carries he'd get as a lead back.

"You'd have to see a body of work over an entire season, whether he wore down later in the season," Van Pelt said. "He was great for us when we had him. He was fresh. Quite a change from what we had in the room."

It's doubtful the Packers will take another chance on Cedric Benson, who signed during training camp and played in just five games before being put on injured reserve with a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. Ryan Grant was a short-term addition who deserved a ton of credit for the job he did both on the field and in the locker room, but he is not the future.

James Starks has been as unreliable as a back could be despite possessing tremendous talent. He has missed 26 of 48 regular-season games because of injury and was no help down the stretch. His salary, assuming he has met playing time qualifiers, will jump to $1.323 million, which is equal to the lowest restricted free agent tender in 2013.

The Packers may not be willing to pay that given his health history.

Our money is on Harris returning as the lead back, though the Packers may elect to draft RB or sign someone in free agency.