Almost three years ago, a promising future on the field was cut short when Packers running back Jonathan Franklin suffered a neck injury on an opening kick return against the visiting Minnesota Vikings. He never played another snap or ran back another kickoff in the NFL. Franklin was tacked onto the list of players in Green Bay to suffer career-ending injuries - a list with prominent players such as Sterling Sharpe, Jermichael Finley, Nick Collins and unfortunately, many more.

This goes to show that kickoff returns are indeed dangerous. A player running head-on into opposing special teams coverage and weaving his way through blocks like a Spartan charging into the Battle of Thermopylae. It's dangerous. That's also why college organizations have recently begun looking into removing that aspect of their game completely.

With the aforementioned dangers in running back kicks, how sparingly should the Packers control who they put on return coverage? 

In recent memory, Jeff Janis, Micah Hyde and Jared Abbrederis have been the primary return men. Janis has the sizing and the speedster capability to prove useful in that respect. Better yet, he currently doesn't have as expanded of a role in the team's offense whereas Ty Montgomery has shown he can be a gifted playmaker when the ball is in his hands. 

Montgomery, who hasn't been seen on Lambeau's hallowed turf for a regular season game since suffering what was originally thought to be a minor ankle injury that eventually required surgery, holds far more value in the Packers' offensive scheme than he does running back a measly kick.

Whether it be out of the backfield taking a hand-off or running a wheel, playing the slot or even possessing the physical giftedness to play the sideline, Montgomery is an obvious choice to keep away from the return game. His main priority is returning healthy and continuing off his admirable start to 2015.

Meanwhile, a fifth-round draft pick by the name of Trevor Davis gives the Packers a bit more comfortable leverage to fall back on when making the special teams decision. Davis transferred from Hawaii to California for the final two years of his college career, and his stellar junior year helps make his case. Of his 13 returns in nine games, Davis brought back two for touchdowns and averaged 32.6 yards per run-back.

It's a matter of figuring out who fits better where, who can become more of an asset in their positionary field and who has the edge over the opposing contender on the depth chart. At this point, given the snake-bitten injury luck (or lack thereof) the Packers' organization has endured, being conservative with player safety is a given. With the window closing on Aaron Rodgers, who turns 33 in December, it's time to accept the fact that despite his elite status, he can't do it all on his own. Supplying the offense with a useful skill position player such as Montgomery to compensate for an extra 10-or-so yards on a kick return just might be a good call.

No matter who gets the call on kick returns, there is one thing that's for certain: the Packers have a lot of mix-and-matching options with the roulette of return men that will likely be deciphered through the duration of training camp. Having options, of course, is definitely a good thing.