How Return of Josh Jacobs Will Impact Packers’ Running Game, Depth Chart

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs returned to the practice field on Wednesday. Will he return to the playing field on Sunday at the Detroit Lions?

“My goal is to play,” Jacobs said on Wednesday. “I don’t know how much they’re going to allow me to play, honestly. Especially with having a walkthrough today, I didn’t really get too many reps – real reps. I don’t know what their mindset is. If it’s up to me, I’m going to try to play.”

Jacobs talked to reporters for the first time since his arrest following an altercation with a woman over Memorial Day Weekend, an incident in which he ultimately entered a no-contest plea.

Jacobs spent the first six weeks of the season on the exempt list, meaning he could work out and attend meetings but not practice or play in games.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Jacobs was in good shape, and Jacobs took his time away seriously.

“I’ve been actually practicing with my helmet and shoulder pads, so it’s not like it’s overly different,” Jacobs said. “But just trying to get back to the flow of the guys, simple stuff like being in the huddle, listening to the play call and going out there and executing within that 5-second, 6-second span.”

Here is just about every word of what Packers RB Josh Jacobs said yesterday. ⬇️https://t.co/3IamXUeG5X
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 22, 2026

There’s also the matter of building chemistry with the offensive line. He’s never played in a game with Jordan Morgan at left tackle. He’s never played in a game with left guard Laken Tomlinson. Other than the playoff game at the Eagles in 2024, he’s never played in a game with right guard Travis Glover, who was a rookie at the time. He’s played less than 90 snaps with Anthony Belton as the right tackle.

That’s all compounded by the Packers not holding a real practice on Wednesday, with LaFleur navigating a challenging stretch of the Sunday night game against Dallas, a division road game at Detroit and a Thursday night game against Carolina.

Help Is On the Way for Worst Running Game

Added together, Jacobs has to navigate through close to two months of not practicing and trying to build chemistry with an offensive line that looks a lot different than the one he ran behind the last two seasons or even training camp.

“And also just getting back in the flow of the guys,” Jacobs said. “We’ve got guys even up front that I’ve never played with. That’s another thing. But we’re going to see how it goes. I don’t know where we’re going to be at this week, or if I’m actually going to play or not. All I’m trying to do is get prepared to play if they let me.”

On the other hand, there’s the state of the running game. It’s bad. Really bad. Impossible-to-be-worse bad. On a history-making-trend bad.

The Packers are last in the NFL – by wide margins – with 59.8 rushing yards per game and 2.87 yards per carry. They are on pace to finish with the fewest rushing yards per game in NFL history.

They haven’t rushed for more than 3.5 yards per carry in a game. The league median is 4.05 yards per carry. If Green Bay’s season average was 3.5, it would rank 30th in the league.

It’s no wonder why quarterback Jordan Love said he’s “happy to have Josh back” with the team.

Can Josh Jacobs Fix the Run Game?

Can the return of Jacobs cure what’s plagued the rushing attack?

“We’ll see. We’ll see,” Love said. “It’s not really a question I can answer right now. I think, obviously, we know what type of player Josh is and I think he’ll definitely improve [it] just having him out there. But, yeah, we’ll see.”

Maybe nobody on the team knows Jacobs better than Xavier McKinney. They were teammates together at Alabama and signed by the Packers in 2024. Both players have been team captains in Green Bay.

“It was good – good to see him back,” McKinney said. “Obviously, we’ve been waiting on him, but, yeah, it’s good to see him back, man. He brings that energy. We know what type of player he is, and, sh**, we’re happy to see him back, dawg, for sure.”

The Packers the last two games have leaned on MarShawn Lloyd and Pierre Strong in the backfield due to Kaleb Johnson’s two fumbles and Chris Brooks’ injury. Lloyd, who leads the team with 48 carries, is averaging 1.96 yards after contact per carry, according to Pro Football Focus. Strong, who got most of the work against Dallas, is averaging 1.88 yards after contact.

Jacobs last season averaged 3.06 yards after contract. In 2024, when he rushed for 1,329 yards, he averaged 3.45 after contact.

That’s where Jacobs can save the running game – with his ability to turn nothing into something.

What Happens on Depth Chart, Roster?

The NFL gave the Packers a one-week roster exemption for Jacobs. They have only 50 players on the 53-man roster, so no corresponding roster move will be needed once Jacobs is officially back on the roster.

The depth chart is another matter.

With Chris Brooks spending a second week on injured reserve, the Packers against Dallas had Pierre Strong on the field for 41 snaps. MarShawn Lloyd played 30 snaps, the third consecutive week around that number. Kaleb Johnson played only four snaps; he’s gone from 16, 24 and 17 to nine and four.

So, now what?

Lloyd was drafted in the third round in 2024. After playing in only one game in two seasons, he’s been healthy all year but hasn’t made much of an impact.

Strong seemed to be trending toward a spot on the roster during training camp but was the odd man out after the trade for Johnson. After Brooks landed on injured reserve after the Tampa Bay game, Strong was promoted from the practice squad. He hasn’t done much as a runner but was impressive by breaking a few tackles during a pair of third-and-13 conversions against Dallas.

Johnson was a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2025 but quickly fell out of favor; the Packers acquired him for a 2028 sixth-round pick. That’s not a huge investment if the Packers wanted to switch gears.

For now, because they have openings on the roster, the team can go to Detroit with all four players on the 53-man roster and make Johnson a gameday inactive.

In the long run, Jacobs – assuming he avoids a suspension that puts him back on the sideline – will reclaim his role as the No. 1 running back and Brooks will return from injured reserve and be back in the third-down role in which he was so valuable last year. The Packers probably aren’t going to give up on Lloyd.

The question from there is whether the Packers will roll with three running backs on the 53 – Jacobs, Lloyd and Brooks – or if the state of the roster will allow them to keep four. Four running backs is a lot; only five teams have more than three on their 53-man roster.

If they keep four: Strong has shown his value and versatility, though the team might see something in Johnson worth developing. Will general manager Brian Gutekunst value short-term production (Strong) or long-term upside (Johnson)? The ability to get one or both to the practice squad could factor in the decision-making.

What is absolutely certain is the Packers’ No. 1 running back will be back in the lineup, perhaps as soon as Sunday’s game against the rival Lions. He is an impact player on the field and in the locker room.

“Leadership, playmaking ability, all of the above,” Xavier McKinney said. “I mean, a great teammate, great dude. I’ve known him for a little while now, so I know the level of impact that he makes on the game and also the level of impact that he can make on a team, as well.

“So I understand every component of it, just how a lot of these guys do in this locker room, and we know that he was eager to get back out there with us. And now that he’s out there with us, he’s happy and he’s ready to put into work.”

The Packers are almost lapping the field in dropped passes. I saved the best part of the story for last, which was Matt LaFleur's response yesterday. ⬇️https://t.co/gpU70nrt63
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 22, 2026

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