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Packers Training Camp Preview: Running Back Battles, X-Factor, Game-Changer
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs ran for more than 1,300 yards last season. Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Last year’s big free-agent addition, running back Josh Jacobs, was the driving force behind the Green Bay Packers’ 11-6 record.

Jacobs is back for Year 2 and will lead the running backs onto the practice field for the first practice of training camp on July 23.

Coming and Going

The core from last year – starter Josh Jacobs and backups Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks – are back from last year. The Packers signed Amar Johnson and Jalen White as undrafted free agents. Perhaps the biggest addition isn’t an “addition” at all. That’s second-year player MarShawn Lloyd, a third-round pick last year who played in only one game as a rookie.

Biggest Battle: Backup Running Back

There are high hopes for MarShawn Lloyd. He was the fourth running back off the board last year. Upon the selection, NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said the Packers drafted “the best” running back in the class.

As it turns out, Lloyd was one of the most disappointing players in the entire draft. Hip, ankle and hamstring injuries and appendicitis conspired to limit Lloyd to 10 snaps as a rookie. Of the 18 offensive players selected in the third round, none received less playing time.

Lloyd is talented but nothing will be handed to him. Nor should it.

Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks had solid seasons as last year’s backups. Wilson carried 103 times for 502 yards. Of the 46 backs who carried at least 100 times last season, he ranked seventh with 4.9 yards per carry, 14th with 3.0 yards after contact per carry and 20th with a broken tackle on 16.5 percent of his carries, according to Sports Info Solutions.

He rushed for four touchdowns and had zero fumbles, a sign of his reliability.

“He took a great jump from his rookie year to last year,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said at the start of OTAs. “I think he only had one MA, one mental mistake, even though he didn’t play as much as a rookie but he played a lot this (past) year, to have only one mistake just speaks volumes to how he has grown.”

Because of Lloyd’s injuries, the Packers signed Brooks to the practice squad. He wound up playing in 15 games, rushing 36 times for 183 yards (5.1 average). Along with 19 carries with the Dolphins as a rookie in 2023, Brooks for his career has averaged 5.3 yards per carry, 3.8 yards after contact and broken a tackle on 21.8 percent of his carries. Last year, his 3.1 yards after contact matched Josh Jacobs’ ninth-ranked figure.

Game-Changer: Josh Jacobs

With the Raiders in 2022, Josh Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and boasted a 4.9-yard average. According to Sports Info Solutions, he rushed for 1,103 yards after contract, averaged 3.2 yards per carry after contact and forced a missed tackle on 23.2 percent of his carries.

In 2023, his production dropped off a cliff. He rushed for only 805 yards – less than half from the year prior – with a 3.5 average. He gained 2.3 yards after contact with a missed-tackle rate of 12.0 percent. That wasn’t just bad by Jacobs’ standards. It was bad by any standards. Of 49 backs with at least 100 carries, only four averaged fewer yards after contact. Even AJ Dillon was better.

This article first appeared on Green Bay Packers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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