GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers play at Tennessee Sunday. While most of the drama in the Green Bay locker room has been about the quarterbacks, in the opposite corner, a new Packers running back is excited about his opportunity.
Chris Brooks was elevated from the practice squad when rookie MarShawn Lloyd was placed on injured reserve.
Brooks said he’s excited to have the opportunity to slot behind Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson.
“My thought process was, ‘Whatever I do, attack it,’” Brooks said. “Attack it to the best of my ability. Whether it be practice squad, active [roster], just attack whatever I’m given.”
Brooks described his running style as relentless. He said he has a clear view of what makes a successful running back, too.
“I think the key is being decisive,” Brooks said. “Taking coaching and being able to learn and grow every single day.”
With high temperatures estimated at 89 degrees Sunday in Nashville, he may get his chance with the offense. Yet, he knows special teams could be a big part of his job.
Brooks played nine games with the Miami Dolphins last season and already has an important fan in Green Bay: The head coach and play caller.
“I’ve been super impressed with him,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. “Just looking back at his tape from a year ago. There’s a lot of carryover, just with some of the terminology that he learned in Miami with Mike McDaniel. And then what we do here. So there’s — I would say — some similarities. I think it’s helped him pick it up a little bit faster as well.
“He’s a very serious guy about ball, and I love his running style. He runs with a good forward lean. He’s got great body control. He can stick his foot in the ground — one of those one-cut runners. And I think he’s really intelligent. So, he’s picked up our protections. No problem, so I’m excited about him.”
Brooks became available after suffering a concussion in preseason with the Dolphins.
“It was a moment of adversity for me,” Brooks said.
“I definitely saw that as an opportunity to grow as a player, as a man, and lean on my faith in the Lord, to trust in my ability,” he added.
Before starting his professional career with the Dolphins, Brooks played college football at University of California, Berkeley and at Brigham Young University.
Despite all the places he’s been, he said he loves the Packers’ running back room and has already developed an affection for Green Bay.
“I love this team,” Brooks said. “I love the environment as soon as I got here — in Green Bay, Wisconsin. You can kind of immediately feel the family environment in the town.”