Key Packers Player Returns to Denver With ‘Chip’ on Shoulder

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sunday’s showdown at the Denver Broncos will not be a revenge game for Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson.

Or so he says.

“I ain’t worried about that no more,” Wilson, who lasted just a few days with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023, said after practice on Thursday.

“That’s long gone,” he continued, “but I still keep that chip right there.”

So, it’s not so “long gone” that he wouldn’t love to rush for 100 yards against the Broncos, a game he might start with Josh Jacobs’ uncertain status.

“I’ve got the mentality to do that, but I’m not really focused on that,” he said.

At Fort Valley State, Wilson as a senior rushed for 1,371 yards and 17 touchdowns to be the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. He wasn’t drafted but the Broncos lured him with $45,000 in guarantees. The team announced his signing on May 12. Three days later, he was released.

Wilson said he didn’t learn the playbook quickly enough; apparently that can be judged in three days. He feared his football career might be over, but the Packers signed him a week later.

The Broncos’ premature loss has been the Packers’ unquestioned gain.

Highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown in the preseason opener against Cincinnati, Wilson led the NFL in rushing during the 2023 preseason to earn his spot in Green Bay. Last year, he rushed for 502 yards as Jacobs’ capable backup. In 2025, he’s rushed for 351 yards, including 107 yards when he started for an injured Jacobs three weeks ago against Minnesota.

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson had 107 rushing yards against the Minnesota Vikings. | Wm. Glasheen-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

“You saw a guy with a lot of raw potential, and every year he’s just gotten a little bit better and a little bit better, and that’s a credit to him and his work ethic,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said on Thursday. “Obviously, [running backs coach Ben] Sirmans and the work that he does with him, as well, is so valuable. But just a guy that had to really grind to learn how to play in the NFL, but you could see the skills he had.

“I remember, one of his first preseason games, he busted like a 75-yard run, and you’re like, that just jumped off the tape right there. You’re like, ‘Holy cow, this guy can make some plays.’ So, yeah, it’s been pretty cool to just see him every year just get a little bit better.”

During the offseason, Sirmans said Wilson had only one missed assignment in 2024. His knowledge of the game has continued to grow this year alongside his mentor, Jacobs.

“I would say coming into this OTAs, the thing that I seen a lot from him is just his growth of wanting to know things,” Jacobs said. “Me and him will sit after practice and we’ll just talk about, ‘OK, what you see right here? OK, if a defender is in a certain position, what are your thoughts?’

“I tell him I always try to have three or four answers to every look or everything that I see when it comes to playing this game in certain positions. But I always tell him, just trust your instincts. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t a baller and just trust your instincts and when you make a decision, be decisive in that decision. You could tell he’s playing with that confidence, and confidence is a big thing in this league.”

Wilson’s done nothing but produce when given opportunities. Against Pittsburgh, he was the hot hand and carried the ball 11 times for 61 yards. When Jacobs suffered the knee injury at the Giants, Wilson carried 11 times for 40 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown. The next week against Minnesota, he set career highs with 28 carries, 107 yards and two touchdowns.

“I still got that confidence, whether they give me the ball a lot,” Wilson said of the Minnesota game. “If they don’t, hey, I’m going to go out there and do what I do.”

Wilson has the team’s only 100-yard rushing game this season. Jacobs was a Pro Bowler last year, but Wilson beat him in yards per carry (4.9 to 4.4). This year, they’re both averaging 4.0 yards per carry, with Wilson’s 3.1 yards after contact per carry on par with Jacobs’ 3.2, according to Pro Football Focus.

There’s no replacing Jacobs. He’s the driving force behind the offense and a true three-down back. But Wilson can deliver in any role, as well, whether it’s his natural talent as a runner or the schematic intelligence he’s worked so hard to attain.

“If he’s going, he’s going,” Wilson said of Jacobs. “If I get my opportunity once again, I’m going to take advantage of it.”

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