The Packers are scrambling for answers in the backfield, and the timing couldn’t be worse with the Bears coming to town.
Green Bay has been stuck in neutral on the ground through four weeks, producing just 58 rushing yards per game, which sits dead last in the NFL. That number stands out even more when stacked against the rest of the league, where most teams are averaging more than 100. The absence of Josh Jacobs has loomed large, and there still isn’t a clear return date while he remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List because of an off-the-field incident.
What was supposed to be a three-man solution has not come close to working. MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks have all been part of the mix, but the Packers have now taken another hit with Brooks sidelined by an ankle injury. He missed both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices, prompting Green Bay to make a move and sign Pierre Strong Jr. to the active roster from the practice squad.
Strong gives the Packers another body and a different skill set. A fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 out of South Dakota State, he spent one year in New England before moving on to the Browns in 2023 and then the Packers in 2025. In 46 career games, he has rushed for 499 yards and two touchdowns on 99 carries, good for a 5.0-yard average, and has added 193 receiving yards.
That passing-game element is the part that could help Green Bay most, especially alongside Lloyd and Johnson. But confidence in the group is thin after the way this season has unfolded, and Strong hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since December 2024, when he was still with Cleveland. In that outing, he ran for 33 yards on five carries and caught three passes for 15 yards in a 20-3 loss to Miami.
The Packers now turn to Sunday’s matchup with Chicago, a Bears team that brings one of the league’s better rushing attacks into Green Bay. Both sides are chasing a win to stay within reach of the unbeaten Vikings.
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Packers Pass Rush May Be Close To A Huge Boost
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The cautious approach makes sense for a pass rush that could look very different once Parsons is available again. For now, Green Bay is watching the rehab closely and waiting for the next step in his ramp-up, with his return date still uncertain as the Packers try to balance urgency with the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Why Packers Fans Still Talk About What No. 89 Came To Mean
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Dave Robinson arrived as a first-round pick in 1963 and became part of the force behind three consecutive NFL championships, plus two Super Bowl wins. His place in Packers history was cemented long ago with Hall of Fame recognition in Green Bay and later in Canton, which is why fans still bring his name up whenever the conversation turns to the best player to ever wear that number. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rivalry Game Just Got More Complicated For Sunday
Caleb Williams return to practice Friday added a layer of uncertainty to an already charged NFC North matchup, and it matters plenty to the Packers as Sunday approaches. The Chicago quarterback had missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, leaving the Bears to lean on Tyson Bagent, who stepped in last week and helped guide them to a win over the New York Jets.
Williams is now listed as questionable, which leaves Chicago with a late call to make on its most important position. If he is not ready to go, Bagent would get the nod again, giving Green Bay a very different look to prepare for and turning an already familiar rivalry game into one with a little more suspense. [Read more 🡒]