Packers Make Big Move at Running Back Before Facing Cardinals

With three players listed as out and seven as questionable on Friday’s injury report, what moves did the Packers make on Saturday to get ready for Sunday’s game at the Cardinals?

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is questionable for Sunday at the Cardinals. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers made three key roster moves on Saturday to get ready for Sunday’s game at the Arizona Cardinals.

ELEVATED: DE Arron Mosby

With Lukas Van Ness out with a foot injury, the Packers were a man down at defensive end after starters Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons and backups Kingsley Enagbare and rookie Barryn Sorrell.

Mosby played three games with the Panthers in 2022 and in 16 of a possible 17 games last year for the Packers, when he made the roster after a superb final preseason game. He recorded a half-sack and showed a knack for dropping into zones with two passes defensed. With the addition of Parsons in a blockbuster trade and Sorrell with a fourth-round pick, Mosby was the odd man out at final cuts.

“Really, it’s a blessing to have something that one day you can look back on and say you accomplished in the NFL,” he said after beating Penei Sewell for the half-sack against Detroit last year. “I’ve been on P-squad and back on special teams. So, I wouldn't call it a breakthrough, but it’s a start. It’s the start of something to go forward with.”

In 19 career games, Mosby has 13 tackles. Four of those came on special teams last season.

“I was a receiver in high school,” he said last year. “I started college as a DB, then I went to LB. I played a majority of my career at linebacker. I played my rookie year in the NFL as a middle linebacker and then to now, I would say I’m transitioning to a D-end.

“I will say probably the hardest transition is pass-rushing. That’s probably the hardest transition I’ve ever done in my career. Just getting around those guys like Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, J.J. (Enagbare) and Lukas, them guys right there are helping me a lot with my pass-rush game and then attacking the run and just attacking guys in general – going forward and trying to make an impact.”

ELEVATED: RB Pierre Strong

Running back Josh Jacobs popped up on the injury report on Friday with a calf injury and is questionable. Late-week injuries can be a cause for concern. That they elevated Strong shows Jacobs’ availability is a real issue. In fact, a source said Jacobs could be a game-time decision.

The Packers signed Strong to their practice squad at the start of the season. A fourth-round pick by New England in 2022, he has played in 46 games with the Patriots in 2022 and Browns in 2023 and 2024. He has carried the ball 99 times for 499 yards (5.0 average) and caught 26 passes for 193 yards. He’s got a strong special-teams acumen, too, with 17 career tackles.

Pierre Strong Jr. was drafted with pick 127 of round 4 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.35 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 107 out of 1632 RB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/aiXYuKPIDV #RAS #Patriots pic.twitter.com/UZZW7Dk242

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022

Jacobs has played in all 22 games with the Packers, including last week while sick. He has played almost three-fourths of the snaps this season. He is fifth in the league with 98 carries and second with six rushing touchdowns even while having the early bye.

If Jacobs is out, Emanuel Wilson would start. He has carried 18 times for 84 yards, his 4.7-yard average beating Jacobs by a full yard. Chris Brooks has two carries for 2 yards.

ACTIVATED: C/G Jacob Monk

Second-year interior lineman Jacob Monk missed the end of training camp with a hamstring injury, opened the regular season on injured reserve and just completed his second week of practice. The Packers listed him as questionable on Friday’s injury report and there’s one vacant roster spot.

Monk was a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. He played 43 snaps in 10 games – all on special teams.

“I feel like last season was just a great year for me to grow,” Monk said during training camp. “I never was redshirted at Duke, so I've just been thrown in the fire since I was 17. But last year was different for me. I got to sit back and watch Elgton (Jenkins, who was) amazing. Josh Myers who was frickin great – an amazing leader, as well. Sean, just all the older guys. Nitpicking what they do because I want to be successful. So, I have great guys in the room to learn from.”

The Packers’ new starting five of left tackle Rasheed Walker, left guard Aaron Banks, center Elgton Jenkins, right guard Jordan Morgan and right tackle Zach Tom will line up together for the second consecutive week. With rookie Anthony Belton questionable with an ankle injury that kept him out of the last two games, the depth is former starting right guard Sean Rhyan, first-year guard Donovan Jennings and tackle Darian Kinnard, whose 119 snaps on offense are more than he played in his first three seasons combined.

NOT ACTIVATED: WR Christian Watson

It will be at least another week before receiver Christian Watson returns to game action, as he was ruled out on Friday and, therefore, not added to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

“It’s not up to me,” Watson said on Friday. “I’ve just got to do as much as I can to prove to them and then whatever they decide, they decide.”

Critically, Watson has participated in all seven practices since his 21-day return-to-play window was opened on Oct. 6. That would indicate there has not been any setbacks as Watson takes his final steps toward playing for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in Week 18 last year.

The Packers will have to activate Watson by next Saturday, a day before the Sunday night showdown at the Pittsburgh Steelers.