The Green Bay Packers just made a quiet move that could wind up mattering a lot more than it looked like at first glance. With Josh Jacobs on the commissioner's exempt list and his future in Green Bay unsettled after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property, the Packers were suddenly thin at running back. MarShawn Lloyd’s injury history only sharpened the concern.
So Green Bay went out and traded for Kaleb Johnson.
That kind of deal doesn’t usually turn heads, but this one comes with real intrigue because Johnson is already looking for a fresh start. The Steelers took him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa after a big junior season, but the fit never really clicked in Pittsburgh. He entered the year expected to help, then slid behind Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.
The numbers tell the story. Johnson played in 10 games and finished with 28 carries for 69 yards, fourth on the team and just behind Jonnu Smith’s 70 yards.
For a back with his size and burst, that was a disappointing debut. But it also left the door open for a team willing to see more than the stat line.
Green Bay clearly thinks there’s more there. Johnson had reportedly been on the Packers’ radar before the 2025 draft, and general manager Brian Gutekunst drew a direct line to another running back who needed a different environment to take off.
"Sometimes it takes time to adjust to the NFL," Gutekunst said.
"He had a couple hiccups there early in the season that maybe affected him for the rest of the year. Sometimes that happens.
We've seen a number of players stub their toe with other teams and then get a new opportunity and just take off. The Ahman Greens of the world, so to speak.
There's been a number of those guys, those stories aren’t unusual. We’re hopeful this will be one of those."
There’s reason for that hope. Tyler Brooke of Best Available broke down Johnson’s film ahead of the Packers’ season opener against the Vikings and pointed to the same issue that may have pushed him down the Steelers’ depth chart: he can get too eager to cut back, trying to force his speed and power into openings instead of simply taking what’s there.
The encouraging part is that the tape shows growth. In both regular-season snaps from last year and this preseason, Johnson looks more comfortable with the NFL game as he goes along. Even now, he’s showing a willingness to hit the gap in front of him and lower his shoulder instead of dancing around it.
That matters in Green Bay because the fit is cleaner. The Packers lean heavily on inside-zone concepts, which matches what Johnson ran at Iowa, where he piled up over 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns.
And with Jacobs likely to miss time, the Packers are expected to start the season with a committee at running back. Lloyd doesn’t have much NFL experience, and Chris Brooks brings limits outside of pass protection.
That opens a real path for Johnson. He doesn’t need to become the whole answer overnight.
He just needs the chance to look like the player Green Bay thought it was getting before Pittsburgh grabbed him first. Against a Vikings defense that’s expected to come after him hard in Week 1, the former third-round pick may get his first real shot to show this move can reset his career.
In Other News...
Matt LaFleur Put Packers Leadership Under Fire With Josh Jacobs Response
Josh Jacobs legal issue surfaced earlier this year when the Packers running back pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges tied to a domestic incident, and the matter has lingered around the team ever since. Matt LaFleur faced the questions in a press conference and stood by Jacobs, offering support and vouching for his character while the organization itself has remained publicly quiet about where it stands.
For a team that has spent the offseason trying to keep the focus on football, the contrast is hard to miss: the head coach has already put his position on record, but the broader Packers response has never really been spelled out. With Jacobs still part of the conversation and LaFleur clearly willing to speak on his behalf, the unresolved part is how much further, if at all, the franchise plans to go in addressing the situation. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Pulled An Unusual Bo Melton Move Before Week 1
The Packers made a roster move with Bo Melton that fits the strange rhythms of the NFL calendar, releasing the wide receiver while keeping him close in the organization on the practice squad. Green Bay still plans to have him on the 53-man roster for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, a sign that the team sees him as part of the early-season depth it wants available in the passing game.
Melton has been with the Packers since they drafted him in 2022, and his time in Green Bay has already included a little bit of everything, from work as a receiver to a brief stint at cornerback. For now, the move underscores how the Packers are trying to preserve flexibility while keeping a familiar piece around, even if the path to opening day looks a little unconventional. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Opener Just Got Much More Unsettling Up Front
The Packers opener against the Vikings already had plenty of early-season intrigue, and the injury report only added to it. Left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele are both questionable with knee issues, leaving Green Bay with uncertainty on the edges of its offensive line as it heads into a divisional game where protection and continuity matter right away.
TyRon Hopper is also listed as questionable with an Achilles tendon issue, while defensive tackle Warren Brinson has already been ruled out because of a calf injury. Minnesota, meanwhile, enters the game without anyone on its injury report, a small but meaningful contrast as Green Bay waits to see how much of its front will actually be available when the season kicks off. [Read more 🡒]