Five Potential Running Back Trade Targets for Packers

The Green Bay Packers did almost nothing to address their void in the backfield this offseason. After losing Emanuel Wilson in free agency, they neither signed a veteran nor drafted a prospect.

What would the Packers do if Josh Jacobs were to miss the second half of a big game? Or an extended stretch of games?

General manager Brian Gutekunst has shown he’s willing to make a trade, whether it’s a blockbuster for Micah Parsons or a small-but-meaningful swap for Darian Kinnard. While he doesn’t have a first-round pick to acquire a running back, he does have a second-round pick and the potential of two choices in the third round, three in the fourth, two apiece in the fifth and sixth, and one in the seventh.

That’s 11 picks along with the possibility of moving a veteran at a position of abundance, meaning there’s plenty of capital if Gutekunst eventually gets uneasy about the unproven group behind Jacobs.

There’s little doubt he’s got his pro scouts monitoring depth charts across the league, though any trade would be much more likely to come in August, once he’s got a handle on Chris Brooks’ potential as a runner, MarShawn Lloyd’s ability to stay healthy and how the rest of the young backs could contribute.

Looking at league-wide depth charts, these running backs could be options for the Packers.

Braelon Allen, Jets

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen rushed for 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns in three seasons with the Badgers. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jets, who handed Breece Hall a contract extension last week, have a strong depth chart with Hall, 2024 fourth-round pick Braelon Allen, 2024 fifth-round pick Isaiah Davis and elite kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu.

Allen, who grew up in Fond du Lac, Wis., and starred at Wisconsin, is a supersized back at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds. He rushed for 334 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie but missed most of last season with a torn MCL.

Even as a third-year pro, the 22-year-old is one of the younger players in the NFL.

“I think as a player as a running back I bring a lot of physicality and a downhill running style, an old-school style,” he said at the 2024 Scouting Combine. “But I can also catch the ball well, run routes, pass protect. I think I bring a lot of value in that way, just being versatile. There’s a lot of things I want to work on and get better at, be more consistent. At the end of the day, I’m young and I have a long way to go before I’m fully developed. In the right system at the right place, I can be a great player.”

Allen is under contract for the next two seasons, with minimum base salaries of $1.075 million in 2026 and $1.190 million in 2027.

Trey Benson, Cardinals

The Cardinals have a full-house backfield with first-round pick Jeremiyah Love and free-agent addition Tyler Allgeier joining the returning tandem of James Conner and Trey Benson. The Cardinals reworked Conner’s contract, making it more likely that he’ll stick around as the No. 3 back. That would leave Benson as the odd man out and a valuable piece in their rebuild.

Benson was a third-round pick in the same 2024 draft that sent Mar’Shawn Lloyd to Green Bay. In 17 career games, he’s rushed for only 451 yards and one touchdown. A foot injury limited him to four games last year. On the bright side, his career average is 4.9 yards per carry and he’ll turn only 24 around the start of training camp.

At 6-foot and 220 pounds, he’s got the size the Packers covet. He’s under contract through the 2027 season with modest base salaries of about $1.346 million in 2026 and $1.621 million in 2027.

Kaleb Johnson, Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson rushed for only 69 yards as a rookie. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Steelers have a new coach with Mike McCarthy, and he’s got a pair of new running backs with former Cowboys and Panthers standout Rico Dowdle and rookie Eli Heidenreich, who starred at Navy. With the return of Jaylen Warren, who had almost 1,300 total yards last season, the Steelers’ backfield is stocked.

That could make Kaleb Johnson, a third-round pick last year, available for the draft-pick equivalent of pennies on the dollar.

Johnson has the size the Packers covet at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds. During his final season at Iowa, he rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 22 receptions, but he rushed for only 69 yards and caught just one pass in 10 games as a rookie. He’ll turn 23 during training camp.

“His play style is reminiscent of DeMarco Murray with a three-down skill-set to thrive in a zone-based NFL scheme,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote before last year’s draft.

Johnson is under contract for the next three seasons.

Tyjae Spears, Titans

The Titans are bringing back the tandem of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears and added Nicholas Singleton in the fifth round and Michael Carter in free agency.

Spears was a third-round pick in 2023. In three seasons, he’s rushed for 1,048 yards (4.1 average) and caught 127 passes (6.9 yards per catch). He’s been unable to handle a consistently large role, with nine games on the sideline the past two seasons. Hence, the addition of Singleton. At 5-foot-9 5/8 and 201 pounds, he’s more of in-space, change-of-pace back than a 220-pound sledgehammer.

He’ll be entering his final season under contract. Under the Proven Player Escalator, his base salary is $3.674 million. Getting him might require only a late-round pick swap.

Kendre Miller, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller runs against the Packers in 2024. | Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin/Imagn Images

The Saints’ depth chart consists of Travis Etienne, their big offseason signing, veteran Alvin Kamara, 2023 third-round pick Kendre Miller and 2025 sixth-round pick Devin Neal, as well as Audric Estime, a fifth-round pick by the Broncos in 2024, former Vikings player Ty Chandler, and undrafted rookie C.J. Donaldson.

First things first will be deciding the future of Kamara, who will turn 31 at the start of training camp. The Saints’ decision with him will dictate what happens next.

A player of interest for the Packers could be Miller, who has played in only 21 games in three seasons and is coming off a torn ACL sustained in October. At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, he’s got the size the Packers like if the Saints opt to go in another direction. The injury history, obviously, is a concern, though. He’s due a base salary of about $1.52 million in 2026, his final season under contract.

What about Kamara? He is entering his 10th season and might be the odd man out as the Saints go home and take advantage of their younger talent in the backfield. As he enters Year 10 in the NFL, his production fell off a cliff.

2024: 950 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry; 68 receptions, 8.0 yards per catch; 1,493 total yards, 5.0 yards per touch.

2025: 471 rushing yards, 3.6 yards per carry; 33 receptions, 5.6 yards per catch; 657 total yards, 4.0 yards per touch.

It’s hard to believe any team would trade for Kamara but he could be worth a shot if he’s released.

Off the Market: De’Von Achane, Dolphins

De’Von Achane, of course, was the big fish potentially on the market. With Miami in rebuilding mode, the choice for new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was to make Achane a building block via a contract extension or trade him to acquire multiple assets.

That decision was made last week with Achane having earned a big contract extension.

Achane is a superb player. Last season, he ranked fifth in the NFL with 1,350 rushing yards and first with 5.67 yards per carry. In three seasons, he’s rushed for 3,057 yards, caught 172 passes and scored 35 touchdowns.

Players with 3,000+ rush yards, 1,000+ receiving yards, 35+ TD in their first 3 NFL seasons…

🔸 De’Von Achane
🔸 Jahmyr Gibbs
🔸 Todd Gurley
🔸 Chris Johnson
🔸 LaDainian Tomlinson
🔸 Edgerrin James
🔸 Barry Sanders
🔸 Billy Sims@MiamiDolphins
— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) May 13, 2026

The challenge for the Packers would have been fitting Achane under the salary cap, which will be incredibly tight in 2027. Moving on from Jacobs, who has a base salary of $12.2 million in 2027, would have helped pay the bills.

That possibility is null and void, though, and the one running back who would have been a legit season-changing weapon is locked in with the Dolphins.

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