The Packers are heading into training camp with more questions than answers in their backfield, and the uncertainty is piling up fast.
Chris Brooks, who was expected to get a bigger role this season after Emanuel Wilson’s departure, will start camp on the non-football-injury list, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. That’s one more hit to a running back room that was already under a cloud.
Josh Jacobs’ situation only adds to the unease. On July 23, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reported that the Brown County District Attorney’s Office said the investigation into Jacobs was “still open.” Jacobs was arrested in May on five charges, including domestic abuse.
Then there’s MarShawn Lloyd, whom the Packers are hoping can finally get on the field after appearing in only one game over the past two seasons.
With Brooks unavailable to open camp, Green Bay moved quickly on Monday and brought in nine players for tryouts, including four running backs: Jermar Jefferson, Marcus Major, Jalen White, and Owen Wright.
Jefferson is the most familiar name in the group for Packers fans. Detroit drafted him in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and while he logged just 15 carries for the Lions, two went for touchdowns and he averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. Since then, he has also spent time with the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers.
Major entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and has yet to appear in an NFL game. He did play eight games for the Houston Gamblers in the UFL this spring, finishing with 228 rushing yards and three touchdowns at 5.3 yards per attempt.
White was also with the Gamblers, where he rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns at 3.0 yards per attempt this season. He previously spent time on the Packers’ 90-man roster during training camp last summer.
Wright has been around the league with the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2023. His NFL résumé is still tiny: three carries for six yards.
The tryouts give Green Bay some possible short-term help, but it’s hard to see any of those four stepping into a meaningful role unless the situation gets even thinner. That’s why Brian Gutekunst may need to keep looking, and a free-agent signing doesn’t seem like the most likely answer.
A trade is the more interesting path, and the Arizona Cardinals are the team to watch. Under Mike LaFleur, with Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, Arizona has what looks like one of the deepest backfields in the league.
Third overall pick Jeremiyah Love is being billed as a future superstar, and the Cardinals also added Tyler Allgeier in free agency. On top of that, they still have James Conner and Trey Benson, giving them a group that could be hard to keep intact.
Conner or Benson could become available at the right time for Green Bay. That’s part of why a trade for Benson showed up in pre-training camp 53-man roster predictions. Benson, a third-round pick in 2024 like Lloyd, would bring power and speed to the Packers’ offense.
A backfield of Jacobs, Benson, and Lloyd, with Brooks behind them, would go a long way toward settling the position.
For now, though, the Packers are stuck waiting on several fronts: whether Jacobs misses time, whether Lloyd can stay healthy, and whether Brooks can handle RB2 duties if needed. Brooks’ injury only makes the situation messier, and with practices set to begin on July 29, Green Bay’s need for another running back is looking harder to ignore.
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