4 questions facing Packers running backs after offseason backfield overhaul (2024)

He liked what he saw from quarterback Jordan Love even more when he got to see him up close.

“I mean, the dude, for him to be as young as he is and to be playing at the type of level he is right now and only getting better, I think he’s going to legit be the next superstar quarterback in this league,” the Packers’ new lead running back said during the offseason. “Obviously, I come in and see him every day put in the work, and all the little things behind the scenes, and I think he has all the attributes to be able to do that.

“(He just has to) keep being confident in himself and keep being confident in his players, and he’ll get everything he wants.”

Jacobs, of course, is one of the people who can make Love’s life that much easier by delivering a productive ground attack. With that in mind, here are the four biggest issues, questions or storylines at the running back position heading into training camp, which kicks off with the team’s first full-squad practice on July 22.

Is Jacobs an upgrade over the beloved Jones?

Three years younger than Aaron Jones, the 26-year-old Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million free-agent deal that will pay him $14.5 million in 2024 and will be, in the words of head coach Matt LaFleur, a “high volume” back in the Packers’ offense.

That’s something that Jones was at times during his seven-year run in Green Bay, but he also battled nagging injuries throughout his tenure, leading to a perhaps unfair narrative about him being a less-than-durable player.

Over the past five seasons, Jones and Jacobs missed the same number of games due to injury — 10. Six of the games Jones missed came last season due to knee and hamstring injuries, although he finished the year with five straight 100-yard rushing games, including the Packers’ two playoff games.

That said, although both have three 1,000-yard seasons on their résumés, Jacobs has averaged more yards per game (76.0 to 61.2) and more attempts per game (17.9 to 12.1) and has only 395 fewer rushing yards than Jones despite playing two fewer seasons.

Jacobs surely will be used more frequently between the tackles than Jones was, and how that alters the Packers’ approach on the ground will be among the offensive storylines worth watching.

“I think everyone’s watched what Josh Jacobs has been about when he’s been on the Raiders. There’s definitely no question what kind of player he is,” Love said. “He’s got the speed and the cuts and the agility. I’m excited to see him once the season gets rolling and see how hard it is for guys to tackle him.”

Can Josh Jacobs be the same passing game weapon that Aaron Jones was?

One area where Jones was undeniably a matchup problem for opposing defenses was as a receiver. Just ask the Chicago Bears, who were fricasseed by Jones’ receiving skills in the 2023 season opener, when he caught two passes for 86 yards — a 35-yard touchdown and a 51-yarder that set up a rushing touchdown.

Jones’ dual-threat nature surely helped Love’s dominant late-season play, as Jones strung together not only those five 100-yard rushing games but also caught 11 passes for 69 yards over that stretch.

LaFleur, for one, believes Jacobs can be a difference-maker in the passing game, despite averaging only 39.4 receptions for 289.6 yards with no receiving touchdowns through five NFL seasons.

Jacobs, meanwhile, made it a priority upon arriving in Green Bay to press LaFleur on his desire to contribute as a receiver.

“I was telling him I felt like I want to catch it a little bit more. I feel like I didn’t get to show that as much as I would have liked (with the Raiders),” Jacobs said. “That was definitely something in the conversations we had.”

How will Matt LaFleur utilize rookie third-rounder MarShawn Lloyd?

Although MarShawn Lloyd does bear some physical resemblance to Jacobs — Jacobs is listed at 5 foot 10 and 223 pounds, while Lloyd is 5-9 and 220 pounds — and Jacobs joked that Lloyd is his “mini-me,” they are not exactly the same player.

One way that Lloyd is different? He has slightly better speed than Jacobs, something that became evident almost immediately to Love during offseason practices.

“He’s like a little rocket back there,” an impressed Love said. “He’s got a lot of speed and I think when we get live, he’s going to be a hard guy to tackle and bring down, and there’s definitely going to be room for him to get in that lineup and make plays. I’m definitely excited to see what he can do.”

One area where Lloyd must improve is in his ball security, as he fumbled three times last season at Southern California and eight times over his final three college seasons — although running backs coach Ben Sirmans downplayed any concerns. For now.

“A guy that does put the ball on the ground, we have methods, different training tools that you use in drill work that should alleviate or cut out those things from happening,” Sirmans said. “A lot of it is just being conscious of the ball when you have it. (But) it’s something that we can help to control with training.”

Where does all this leave AJ Dillon?

The 2020 second-round pick returned on a prove-it one year deal with the rarely used fourth-year qualifying contract he received, and the additions of Jacobs and Lloyd are a clear signal that the Packers didn’t think they could move on from Jones and anoint Dillon as RB1.

That was obvious last year when Jones missed those six games with injuries. Starting in his place, Dillon managed 335 yards and one touchdown on 93 carries (3.6-yard average).

With last year’s No. 3 back, Emanuel Wilson, also in the mix, Dillon knows he isn’t assured a roster spot. To this point, Sirmans has seen the requisite urgency in Dillon’s approach.

“This is as hard as I’ve seen him work in the offseason,” Sirmans said. “It’s like I told him: I know highlights make everybody look great, but if you put some of his best plays on a highlight reel, which we do, you’re sitting there saying to yourself, ‘Man, this guy’s got the makings of a stud.’ (But) you’ve figured out, ‘OK, we just got to have a level of consistency with you playing like this, and then this is when you’re the monster that we know that we have.’

“That’s why I feel pretty good that’s the guy we’re going to see a lot of more (this year), that consistent AJ.”