On the busiest day of the NFL's transaction wire, the Green Bay Packers made several moves beyond what you might call their "usual" MO.
General manager Brian Gutekunst made three trades on Sunday morning that reshaped key offensive skill positions. After sending development phenom Kyle McCord off to his new, considerably warmer home, Gutey brought in a new asset: Pittsburgh's second-year running back Kaleb Johnson, who appears to be the final piece to complete Green Bay's new-look rushing attack.
This trade technically was done before the news of Josh Jacobs' future unavailability, via a spot on the Commissioner's Exempt List*. It's safe to guess the team knew what was about to be announced and felt the need to make a proactive move towards securing a stable running back rotation.
It's not immediately clear how long Jacobs will be gone, but considering that his November 17 court date isn't even a sentencing hearing, it's possible that he will not play snaps for the 2026 Green Bay Packers. Instead, the Packers will need to rely on two running backs who are... unproven.
MarShawn Lloyd's impact as the Packers' starter
We all know MarShawn Lloyd's story. A tantalizingly talented player; it was obvious even in college when he went from one USC (South Carolina) to another (Southern California). Lloyd was even considered by some draft analysts to be the best prospect in that class, but injuries have haunted his every step in the NFL.
Over the 2026 offseason, Lloyd visited advanced medical facilities in an attempt to figure out some of his long-term issues, similar to the way Christian Watson and Eric Stokes benefited from investigating their own long-term hamstring issues. So far (knock on all the wood), Lloyd has enjoyed a healthy preseason and finally looks ready to make his impact for the Packers.
But with Jacobs out of the facility, is Lloyd ready to handle the duties of being the team's RB1? In all likelihood, he won't have to.
Even before Sunday's whirlwind of events, Lloyd was never supposed to be a "bellcow" kind of RB who can personally handle the workload of being an every-down back in the NFL. Even being a stockier kind of back, at 5-9, 220 pounds, he has the tools of being an explosive option. But he has real deficiencies in his game (namely pass protection skills that limit his viability as a third-down back). From The Athletic's Dane Brugler, pre-draft:
"Overall, Lloyd doesn't have the profile of a high-volume back, but he can spark an NFL offense with his mix of patience, burst and promise as a pass catcher. His tape gives me flashbacks of a thicker version of Duke Johnson when he was coming out of Miami."
Luckily, Lloyd doesn't have to be a high-volume back. The Packers already have an extremely effective third-down back option in Chris Brooks. Per PFF, Brooks was a top blocker at the RB position, earning a 70.8 pass-blocking grade (seventh in the league) and a run-blocking grade of 86.8, which was the highest among all RBs last season.
Brooks was also an effective rusher, ending 2025 with 4.4 yards per attempt, which was, believe it or not, the highest on the team. My guess is that Brooks starts the season as a heavily featured back in the backfield committee.
Kaleb Johnson brings explosive potential to Packers' offense
But Brooks doesn't have the upside of Lloyd or the newcomer Kaleb Johnson. Johnson, now entering his second season in the NFL, was a highly touted prospect coming out of Iowa. In his final year as a Hawkeye, he rushed for 1,535 yards, a 6.4 YPA, and 21 touchdowns.
A statistical monster, Johnson flourished in Iowa's zone-heavy scheme. The same scheme that the Packers have hinted they might also be leaning heavily into this season.
From Lance Zierlein's pre-draft scouting report on Johnson:
"Johnson is built like a bruiser, but his style is more finesse, preferring to win with tempo and decisiveness. He keeps his runs on time and on track while allowing blockers to do their job. He's not overly aggressive, but he has the size and strength to break tackles and grab extra yards at the finish. He runs with below-average creativity and cut quickness but has consistent linear play speed to pop chunk runs. He can catch, but his three-down value takes a hit because of his struggles in pass pro. Johnson's traits and running style make him a projectable fit in a two-back system with the upside to take on a bigger chunk down the road."
Sound familiar? A young RB prospect who fits well in a committee but has some deficiencies on third down? Johnson's play style has always leaned towards being better in a zone-blocking scheme, similar to Lloyd's. Over the last couple of seasons, the Packers have been trending away from zone at a fairly steady rate, but this preseason has indicated they will be a zone-heavy team once more.
I mentioned that Lloyd and Johnson were both a bit unproven. Well, in his rookie season, Johnson attempted only 28 carries for a grand total of 69 yards. In fact, Lloyd and Johnson have combined for 34 carries, 84 yards, 0 touchdowns, and two catches in the NFL.
We shouldn't expect a miracle here from the Lloyd-Johnson duo, and Brooks' role is generally downplayed, but there is a chance for this to be an extremely well-rounded group. Green Bay is finally set up to be a pass-first offense, but it's up to the new kids in town to keep up their end of the deal.
* If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please reach out to the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org.
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