The Green Bay Packers are staring down the barrel of the 2026 season with a running back situation that’s less of a strategic plan and more of a forced hand, honestly. They are heading into the year with no real clarity in their backfield, and it is a massive question mark hanging over the entire team. With star running back Josh Jacobs sidelined indefinitely, the coaching staff is stuck scrambling to figure out who can even consistently carry the rock. It’s not ideal, not one bit.
The Green Bay Backfield: A Real Head-Scratcher
Let’s be real: nobody, probably not even the Packers themselves, truly knows what they’ve got at running back right now. Josh Jacobs is out for the foreseeable future, which leaves a gaping hole that needs filling. So, who’s left to pick up the slack? There’s MarShawn Lloyd, a guy who seems to have already visited every specialist known to medicine, given his extensive and worrying injury history. Can he stay on the field? That’s a huge “if.” Then you’ve got Chris Brooks, who, let’s face it, is more of a fullback than a dynamic, pure runner. It’s incredibly tough to build a truly threatening run game around that kind of profile.
And then there’s Kaleb Johnson, a second-year player who was a third-round pick but got traded away for just a sixth-rounder because he was so disappointing. That’s a brutal assessment right there, a clear sign of unfulfilled potential. Damon Bankston is also kicking around the roster, an intriguing prospect sure, but he’s barely learned where the bathrooms are at Lambeau Field, let alone how to consistently lead an NFL backfield. He needs time to get his feet wet, and the season starts now! This isn’t exactly a powerhouse lineup, is it? It’s a collection of question marks and stop-gaps.
Can This Committee Even Get The Job Done?
Here’s the wild thing: while this running back situation is a mess, the Packers’ entire season probably won’t completely hinge on these guys. Josh Jacobs is expected to return *at some point*, which is some good news, even if the source hints the team might actually be better off without him, which is a spicy take if I’ve ever heard one! If Lloyd can somehow defy the odds and stay healthy, he and Brooks *should* be able to piece together a “more-or-less competent” backfield. “More-or-less competent” isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire, but it’s something they’ll take at this point.
The real, pressing concern for Green Bay might not even be the backs themselves, believe it or not. The biggest fish to fry, the massive unresolved issue, is their offensive line. Can that unit stay healthy and survive the entire grueling season? That’s a huge, foundational question with no clear answer. Because no matter who’s carrying the ball, no matter how “competent” the committee might be, if the O-line can’t hold up and create lanes, then the running game is going absolutely nowhere. As the 2026 season kicks off, all eyes will be locked on how this thrown-together committee handles the pressure, and if their big boys upfront can finally give them a fighting chance. It’s going to be a fascinating, maybe frustrating, and definitely unpredictable start to the year for Green Bay.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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