Big Spending at Position Doesn’t Alleviate Big Question for Packers

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.

Unless you’re the Green Bay Packers’ running back depth chart. In that case, the Packers have almost $21 million in questions.

In terms of salary-cap dollars, the Packers’ roster is fairly well balanced. According to OverTheCap.com, the Packers are 13th in spending on offense and 21st on defense.

Broken down by position, they are 10th at quarterback, 20th at receiver, 24th at tight end (with Tucker Kraft’s extension pending), 20th on the offensive line, 13th at defensive tackle, 16th on the edge, 14th at linebacker, 24th at cornerback and 17th at safety.

The one outlier position group is at running back. The Packers are third with almost $20.8 million of cap dollars sunk into the position.

Ideally, you’d want a high level of return on investment. Instead, the Packers have a high level of uncertainty.

Josh Jacobs is second only to the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor with a 2026 cap charge of about $14.543 million.

Declining Production for Josh Jacobs

Jacobs, who turned 28 in February, had across-the-board deductions in production last season compared to his debut year with the team. Here are the numbers from Sports Info Solutions.

Rushing yards: 1,329 in 2024 but 929 in 2025.

Rushing yards per game: 78.2 in 2024 but 61.9 in 2025.

Yards per carry: 4.4 in 2024 but 4.0 in 2025.

Yards after contact per carry: 3.1 in 2024 but 2.9 in 2025.

Broken tackles: 60 in 2024 but 42 in 2025.

Percentage of carries with broken tackle: 19.9 in 2024 but 17.9 in 2025.

Percentage of carries with a fumble: 1.3 percent in 2024 but 1.8 percent in 2025.

Yards per catch: 9.5 in 2024 and 7.8 in 2025.

YAC per catch: 11.3 in 2024 but 8.6 in 2025.

Percentage of catches resulting in first down: 41.7 percent in 2024 but 22.2 in 2025.

That’s not a cherry picking of the stats. There is not a single area where Jacobs improved last season vs. 2024.

Now, that comes with two important caveats.

One, Jacobs suffered a knee injury against the Giants that either sidelined him or limited him down the stretch. There’s no reason to believe the injury sustained in that game is a sign that the wear and tear from seven NFL seasons is starting to slow him down. Chances are that Jacobs’ injury was just that: an injury – something that happens to most football players.

Two, the rushing production from all of Green Bay’s backs declined. Emanuel Wilson went from 4.9 yards per carry in 2024 to 4.0 in 2025 and Chris Brooks went from 5.1 yards per carry in 2024 to 3.9 in 2025. Not only did their averages drop, their averages dropped more significantly than they did for Jacobs.

However, running back is the most physically challenging position in the sport. Jacobs has 2,109 touches in seven seasons. That’s about 300 per season for a player who hasn’t shied away from contact in his quest to squeeze every inch out of every run.

So, yes, it’s certainly possible Father Time played a role in Jacobs’ diminished production last year.

Then, of course, there’s the elephant in the room of the off-the-field allegations surrounding Jacobs. Charges were not filed. That doesn’t mean charges won’t be filed. That also doesn’t mean the NFL won’t hand out punishment – with or without charges – but with each passing day, it appears Jacobs will on the field for Week 1 and beyond.

They’ll need him, because the depth chart is rounded out by:

Precarious Depth Chart at Running Back

Chris Brooks ($1.845 million salary-cap charge in 2026): The Packers re-signed Brooks instead of Emanuel Wilson in free agency. In three seasons, Brooks has been more of a role player – third-down pass protector and special-teams standout – than offensive weapon. In three seasons, he has 106 touches and zero starts.

Even if Jacobs is on the field for all 17-plus games, Brooks will have an important role beyond picking up blitzing linebackers.

MarShawn Lloyd ($1.551 million): The Packers drafted Lloyd in the third round in 2024 to serve as the complement to Jacobs. That, of course, hasn’t happened. Maybe it will this year, though it’s anyone’s guess on whether the Yeet Cannon will be an explosive threat on offense. He has seven touches in one game.

“He’s very explosive, and he does some really good things,” quarterback Jordan Love said “He’s just one of those guys that’s kind of just got that freaky, twitch ability that is just God given. So, it’s definitely something that you catch yourself watching him practice. We watched him in some of the preseason games last year and you get excited. …

“I’m definitely excited for him to get his opportunity and kind of put the world on notice.”

Pierre Strong ($1.075 million): A fourth-round pick by New England in 2022, Strong has 125 touches and one start in four seasons. Strong, who brings speed to the offense, spent last season on Green Bay’s practice squad and didn’t play in a game.

Jaden Nixon ($890,000): Nixon was an undrafted free agent this year out of Central Florida. He was an explosive player in college with a 7.8-yard average last season two career kickoff-return touchdowns. But he is small, had 15-plus touches in only four of 52 career games and tested surprisingly poorly.

Damien Martinez ($885,000): Martinez was a seventh-round pick last year by the Seahawks who failed to make their roster and ended the season on Green Bay’s practice squad. He is a power runner who piled up 3,169 rushing yards with a 6.2-yard average in three seasons of college.

Added together, the backs in the backup battle combined for 27 carries, 13 receptions and 197 total yards in the NFL last season. That was all by Brooks, highlighted by 13 carries for 61 yards in Week 18 at Minnesota.

From an offensive perspective, it’s impossible to come up with a worse scenario than Jacobs being sidelined and Lloyd being injured again.

For what it’s worth, the Chiefs signed star running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency. The 25-year-old’s Year 1 cap charge is about $8.9 million less than Jacobs’ for this season (but about $2.1 million more for 2027).

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