Knile Davis to Packers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Green Bay Packers addressed their running back depth issues by acquiring Knile Davis in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs announced the move on Tuesday.

Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star was the first to report the deal, and it was later confirmed by ESPN's Josina Anderson. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Chiefs sent a 2018 conditional seventh-round pick to Kansas City.

"It feels like getting drafted again," Davis said about the trade, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I feel like it’s a new beginning and I’m excited."

ESPN Stats & Info (via Schefter) revealed that this is the Packers' first trade since 2010, when they acquired Anthony Smith from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Sunday that Packers running back James Starks underwent surgery on his knee and is expected to miss a "couple of weeks," which created a major hole behind starter Eddie Lacy.

Since carrying the ball 134 times for the Chiefs in 2014, Davis' role has diminished. He has just one carry and two receptions this season and has been utilized primarily as a kick returner.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Davis was "available via trade" before the season started. What's more, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said the Chiefs were "shopping" Davis before the draft, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported in March that he was "hearing" the Chiefs were "working" to trade the running back. Rapoport noted after Cole's report that "Davis made the request weeks ago."

Davis likely saw the writing on the wall in Kansas City when he made that request. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season, per Spotrac, and Zach Links of Pro Football Rumors pointed out that he was "buried on Kansas City's depth chart" because of the likes of Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware.

Links also highlighted the fact that Kansas City gave West and Ware new deals before the 2016 campaign "that will keep them in the fold for the next two seasons."

Davis was a disappointment in 2015 from a statistical perspective and tallied a mere 72 rushing yards and one score on the ground behind a yards-per-carry average of 2.6. He took a back seat to those other running backs on the roster, even after Charles tore his ACL in October and was lost for the year.

However, Davis does have 1,879 yards on kickoff returns the past four seasons (27.2 per return) and uses his elusiveness and speed in the open field to blow past defenders and put his team in ideal field position. The Chiefs' 30-0 postseason win over Houston was seemingly never in doubt after Davis' opening kick return.

To Davis' credit, he has been durable throughout his career and played a larger role behind Charles in 2013 and 2014. He even proved to be a versatile pass-catcher out of the backfield at times:

Season	Games	Carries	Rushing Yards	Yards Per Carry	Rushing Touchdowns	Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdown Catches
2013	16	70	242	3.5	4	11	75	0
2014	16	134	463	3.5	6	16	147	1
2015	14	28	72	2.6	1	2	24	0
2016	4	1	-2	-2.0	0	2	14	0

He is also only 25 years old and will ideally see an increase in workload without Charles, West and Ware ahead of him on a depth chart. Charles is one of the most explosive running backs in the league, West saved some fantasy football seasons with 634 rushing yards and four scores in replacement of the injured Charles in 2015, and Ware is a bruising back who can pick up difficult yardage between the tackles.

Davis didn't appear to have much of a future as a running back in Kansas City and will now look to establish himself as more of a force for his new team as he enters what could be the prime years of his career.

Lacy is the unquestioned bell-cow back in Green Bay, but Davis is bound to get some touches until Starks returns since he is the only other option.

Davis' career yards-per-carry average of just 3.3 suggests he is little more than a fill-in option, but he is an experienced player with the versatility to contribute on special teams as well, which could make him a smart, economical pickup for the Pack.