The Green Bay Packers may have found a temporary answer in the backfield while Josh Jacobs recovers from surgery on a broken finger.
Jacobs is out for Week 10, and even after the Packers’ Week 11 bye, he could still miss more time. That opens the door for a new lead runner, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler pointed to former Pittsburgh Steelers third-round pick Kaleb Johnson as the name to watch.
Fowler said the Packers liked what they saw from Johnson in the team’s Week 9 blowout win over the New England Patriots. “While Johnson is splitting carries with MarShawn Lloyd because of Josh Jacobs' injury, the Packers like the vision Johnson showed last week vs.
New England in producing 68 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries,” Fowler writes. “They could give Johnson an extended look this week vs. the Vikings.”
That performance stood out in a season where Green Bay’s ground game has struggled even with Jacobs available. Johnson, 23, handled 14 carries against the Patriots and turned them into 68 yards and a touchdown, easily his best outing so far.
Now the question is whether that showing was enough to earn him a bigger role against Minnesota. The Vikings present a difficult matchup, but Johnson still appears to have a real chance to see plenty of work if the Packers decide to lean on him.
MarShawn Lloyd has not done much to seize the job, and Pierre Strong Jr. does not look like a realistic lead-back option either. That leaves Johnson as the most intriguing choice, especially after flashing enough to make Green Bay take a longer look.
If there was ever a week for the Packers to hand Johnson the ball and see what he can do, this is it. The other backs will still be part of the offense, but Green Bay may be ready to rely on Johnson more than it has before.
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