The Green Bay Packers’ entire running game is walking into the 2026 regular season as a total mystery box. This isn’t just about one guy, either. Starting running back Josh Jacobs is officially on the commissioner exempt list, and the guys stepping up to fill those carries have barely touched the ball at the NFL level. On top of all that, the Packers’ offensive line is in a serious transition phase. It all adds up to a huge question mark for their offense right out of the gate.
The Jacobs Situation: Legal Troubles Rock The Backfield
The biggest reason MarShawn Lloyd is even in the conversation for top ball-carrier to start the year is the messy situation with Josh Jacobs. Back in May, Jacobs was involved in an incident with his girlfriend that led to charges of battery and criminal damage to property. It took a while, but Brown County officially charged him on August 27th. The district attorney’s office held off on a judgment while they got their hands on surveillance video and pushed it through a “complex” digital forensic examination report, which apparently took “several weeks.” Right now, Jacobs is on the commissioner exempt list, which means he can hit team meetings, and the team confirmed he’s doing that, but he can’t practice or play. There’s zero timetable for when this whole thing gets sorted out. His initial hearing, and it’s important to note it’s not a sentencing, isn’t even until November 17th. The Packers are saying they’ll just “let the legal process play out.” What a mess.
Who’s Carrying The Rock For Green Bay?
With Jacobs sidelined indefinitely, the Packers have three running backs on the 53-man roster who are actually available: MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, and Chris Brooks. Lloyd, now in his third pro year, is the guy expected to be Green Bay’s primary ball-carrier until, or if, Jacobs comes back. He’s only played a grand total of 10 regular-season snaps in his career, all in one game, thanks to “a series of unfortunate injuries” after the Packers grabbed him in the third round back in 2024. Talk about a trial by fire! Backing him up is Johnson, a 2025 third-round pick himself. The Packers swung a trade for him from the Pittsburgh Steelers at the cutdown deadline, giving up a 2028 sixth-round pick. Johnson only averaged 2.8 carries per game as a rookie with the Steelers last year. Interestingly, he did play under Packers offensive coordinator Tim Lester, who used to be an analyst for head coach Matt LaFleur, at the University of Iowa. Then there’s Brooks, who’s definitely more of a blocking back. He’s only carried the ball on 16 percent of his offensive snaps, logging 63 carries on 387 plays. These guys are stepping into a massive void, and none of them have been “the guy” at this level before.
This whole situation for the Packers’ running game screams uncertainty. With their starting back tied up in legal proceedings and his replacements largely unproven, fans will be holding their breath to see how this backfield performs. The regular season is kicking off, and everyone’s watching to see if Lloyd, Johnson, or Brooks can shoulder the load. It’s going to be an interesting few months, especially with Jacobs’ initial hearing set for November 17th.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
Leave a Reply