From Blue Chip to Easily Upgraded: Josh Jacobs And Question Marks at Running Back
Note: This is a continuation of our roster-building series, which is based on The Move the Sticks podcast starring NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks. In it, players are placed in tiers ranging Blue Chip, or one of the best players at his position, to Building Block, Backup and Easily Upgraded. Here's our look at quarterback and the defense.
For most of the NFL, the running back position has become devalued over the last 20 years. That clearly is not the case for the Green Bay Packers.
Aaron Jones received a second contract from the Packers. Despite their salary-cap issues, they kept him in Green Bay for seven seasons.
"He’s just really the heartbeat of our team," general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the season.
It was hard to envision Gutekunst referring to someone as the team’s “heartbeat,” and then taking that heart away. But he did just that. Jones was released after the Packers agreed to terms with Josh Jacobs.
Jones struggled with injuries during the 2023 season. He missed six games and was limited in several others due to lower-body injuries.
He thought his season had ended after suffering what looked like an awful knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead, Jones caught a break. Then, he caught fire for the Packers' stretch run.
What a stretch it was. Jones ran for more than 100 yards in each of the team's final five games, setting a franchise record.
He was dominant in postseason play, scoring three touchdowns against the Cowboys and becoming the first 100-yard rusher against San Francisco in 50 games.
Jones' brilliance was nothing new.
Among all running backs in NFL history with at least 700 carries, he ranks fifth in yards per carry. From 2000 through 2023, Jones was seventh in the NFL in rushing yards. He would have ranked higher if not for getting a limited workload.
Fans and pundits alike often rolled their eyes at his usage, with coach Matt LaFleur frequently lamenting Jones’ lack of touches following a loss.
His limited usage, however, did have the goal in mind of keeping him fresh toward the end of the season.
LaFleur said as much after Jones ran wild in Green Bay’s 48-32 playoff victory over the Cowboys.
"It was a blessing in disguise, I would say, that he didn't have the wear and tear throughout the course of the season," LaFleur said.
Packers RB Aaron Jones
Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports Images
"He's not the biggest guy but, pound-for-pound, I don't know if there's many tougher than him. Being here now, he's got more tread on the tire."
The Packers signed Jacobs as Jones’ replacement. He is one of the top backs in all of football.
Jacobs led the league in rushing in 2022 before having a down year in 2023. Jacobs led the NFL with an average of 7.2 defenders in the box on his rushing attempts. He's also able to catch the ball out of the backfield with more than 50 receptions in 2021 and 2022.
Jacobs is a notch below players like San Francisco's Christian McCaffery or Cleveland's Nick Chubb, but he certainly qualifies as a Building Block in our rankings.
The rest of the running back group is one giant question mark.
AJ Dillon looked like a player who was moving on from Green Bay but surprised the football world when he re-signed with the Packers.
Dillon struggled after looking like a perfect complement to Jones in 2021. Among 49 running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts in 2023, he was 38th with 2.4 yards after contact per carry and 47th with a missed tackle rate of 6.7 percent.
Despite his size and reputation as a bulldozer, Dillon rarely looked like the bowling ball that he appeared to be headed toward becoming during his rookie and sophomore seasons.
Even though Dillon returned to Green Bay, the contract he signed indicates he’s not necessarily a big part of the future. If he looks like the powerhouse that took the league by storm during the first two years, the Packers could keep him around. If he doesn't, he could be on his way out of Green Bay as soon as the end of training camp.
For now, the running back room is rounded out by Emanuel Wilson, an undrafted free agent last year who made the 53-man roster after leading the NFL in preseason rushing, and Ellis Merriweather, an undrafted free agent who ended the season on the practice squad. Patrick Taylor, who has bounced in and out of Green Bay, remains unsigned.
None of those players would stop Gutekunst from attempting to upgrade the position in the 2024 NFL Draft. That's evidenced partially by the signing of Jacobs and could affect the way Gutekunst looks at the draft class.
Ultimately, the signing of Jacobs gives the Packers what they had prior to the start of the offseason. One building block at the top of the depth chart is surrounded by question marks.
The Packers will likely be looking for an upgrade in the draft to the spot behind their newly minted top running back.
