The Packers have added another piece to their backfield, landing former Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with Pittsburgh.
It’s a move that gives Green Bay some needed insurance behind Josh Jacobs, who has been placed on the Commissioner Exempt List as the NFL continues to monitor developments following his formal charges of misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. If Jacobs is available during the season, he remains the lead back after rushing for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also catching 36 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown.
But the Packers had to plan for the possibility that Jacobs misses real time, and now their running back room includes MarShawn Lloyd, Johnson, and Chris Brooks.
Lloyd, a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has plenty of upside, but injuries have limited him to just one career game. Green Bay will need him in the 2026 season for their run game to be effective.
Johnson arrives in his second NFL season after a quiet rookie year with the Steelers, where he ran for 69 yards on 28 carries and added one catch for nine yards. Still, the 23-year-old brings a college résumé that stands out. At Iowa, he was an All-American in 2024, piling up 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns while also hauling in 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
If he can get closer to that version of himself, the Packers may have found a real contributor.
Brooks remains part of the mix as well. He’s spent the last two seasons in Green Bay and has totaled 289 rushing yards and a touchdown on 63 carries, plus 24 receptions for 160 yards. His biggest value comes as a pass protector, not as a featured runner.
It may not be the flashiest move Green Bay makes, but Johnson gives the Packers another body with a chance to matter.
In Other News...
Packers Get Another Look At A Running Back They Wanted First
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Bankston comes with the kind of college production and athletic profile that can keep a name in circulation even after a winding path through the spring. For the Packers, the interest is easy to understand, especially with roster and practice-squad spots always in flux this time of year, but there is no indication yet that anything has been finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Clearly Won This Trade As The Other Side Unravels
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The Colts, meanwhile, have announced they will waive Wooden, whose 2025 role in Green Bay included starting at nose tackle. His next stop is now up in the air, and it only adds to the sense that this is one of those trades where Green Bay got the more stable part of the deal while the other side is still trying to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Created A New QB Depth Problem After Trading Kyle McCord
Kyle McCords strong preseason in Green Bay had started to make him look like more than just a camp arm, which is why his move to Miami stood out as more than a routine transaction. The Packers sent McCord to the Dolphins for a 2028 sixth-round pick, a deal that came after Miami had already moved backup quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and turned over its own reserve depth chart.
For Green Bay, the bigger issue is what comes next. McCords departure leaves the Packers needing another quarterback for the practice squad, and it creates a small but real depth question at a spot teams prefer not to improvise with once the summer roster churn starts to settle. Even when the trade return is modest and the timing is simple enough to explain, losing a preseason performer can force a team to rethink how it wants to protect the most important position on the roster. [Read more 🡒]