The Green Bay Packers are starting the year at 3-2, but they’ll head into Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football still working around a couple of key absences.
Micah Parsons remains sidelined, and Josh Jacobs had been on the Commissioner’s Exempt list. That changed on the Friday before Week 6, when the NFL made a decision on Jacobs that matters a lot for Green Bay’s backfield.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the league is removing Jacobs from the Commissioner’s Exempt list on Monday, but the move doesn’t close the book on the situation. The investigation is still open, which means the NFL keeps the option to hand down more discipline later if it deems that necessary.
“ESPN sources: Packers RB Josh Jacobs is being removed from the NFL's Commissioner Exempt list on Monday," Schefter reports. "The investigation will remain open for the NFL so it reserves the right to add further discipline if and when warranted. Jacobs is expected to be eligible to play in Week 7."
That timeline means Jacobs will not be available for Week 6. His first real shot at getting back on the field comes in Week 7, and even that is not locked in while the league continues to review the matter.
For the Packers, the wait has forced them to lean on MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks, and Pierre Strong Jr. through the first six weeks. Green Bay’s passing game has been rolling, but the ground attack still needs a boost, and Jacobs’ return could give the offense a more complete look.
For now, though, he stays out one more week. If nothing changes, Jacobs will come off the Commissioner’s Exempt list on Monday after Week 6 and be in position to make his Packers debut in Week 7.
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