Brian Gutekunst didn’t hide the fact that the Packers had to make a move.
After Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, Green Bay swung a trade to bring in running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving the offense a fresh option in the backfield at a time when the room suddenly looked thin.
Johnson is expected to have a major role right away alongside MarShawn Lloyd, and the Packers are counting on that pair to help carry the run game while Jacobs is unavailable. Lloyd is the likeliest starter, but his first two seasons have been interrupted by injuries, and he has appeared in only one game.
For Johnson, the trade offers a reset. His rookie year in Pittsburgh never got going, as he finished with 69 rushing yards on 28 carries and one catch for nine yards. That was a far cry from the version of him Iowa had in 2024, when he was an All-American and put together a huge season with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, plus 22 receptions for 188 yards and two scores.
The Steelers took Johnson in the third round of the NFL Draft, but after an early struggle, he never settled into a major role. Now he gets a new system and a new opportunity to show the player he was in college.
Green Bay still figures to lean on Jordan Love and the passing game, especially with Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Tucker Kraft giving the offense plenty of options. But even with that kind of firepower, the Packers know they can’t ask Love to throw on every down. The run game still has to show up, and Johnson is suddenly a big part of that plan.
In Other News...
Packers Fans Just Got A National Reputation Boost
Erin Andrews weighed in on one of the NFLs most debated topics during an interview with Alex Cooper, offering a familiar mix of stadium insight and fanbase reputation. She singled out Seahawks fans at Lumen Field as the loudest and most intimidating in the league, while saying the atmosphere in Los Angeles tends to be more laid-back and quieter. For Packers fans, though, the takeaway was far more flattering.
Andrews described Green Bay supporters as the nicest fanbase in the NFL, a label that fits the teams long-standing image as one of the leagues most loyal and community-minded followings. It is the kind of national shoutout Packers fans tend to appreciate, especially in a league where home-field edge is often measured by noise and intensity rather than hospitality. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Writer Is Already Doubting A Packers Team Fans Still Trust
The Packers still have plenty of reasons to feel better about their long-term outlook as the 2026 season comes into focus. Tucker Kraft is expected back after his injury, Jordan Love keeps adding experience at quarterback, and the team has also made changes on special teams that could pay off in a subtle but important way. There are enough encouraging pieces on paper to keep Green Bay in the conversation, especially with the roster starting to settle around its core.
Chris Schad of The Viking Age, though, is already poking at the soft spots in that optimism. He points to Josh Jacobs landing on the commissioners list and Micah Parsons working his way back from injury as reminders that the Packers are not exactly bulletproof, even before the season begins. For a team that still has believers inside its own fan base, the question is whether those concerns are just early-season noise or the kind of nagging issues that can show up once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Will Love Parts Of This Projected 2026 Lineup
After roster cutdowns, the early look at Green Bays projected 2026 lineup has plenty for Packers fans to digest, especially on offense where Jordan Love is still the clear centerpiece. The projection also points to MarShawn Lloyd at running back, a reminder that the backfield picture could look a lot different a year from now as the team keeps shaping its next core.
The bigger appeal is how the exercise sketches out the full roster picture across offense, defense and special teams, giving a glimpse of where the Packers may already feel settled and where more turnover could still be coming. It is still only a projection, of course, but for a fan base that pays close attention to every roster detail, the lineup offers an interesting snapshot of what Green Bay might look like in 2026. [Read more 🡒]