When the Green Bay Packers let Emanuel Wilson hit free agency, it looked like they were positioning themselves to bolster the depth behind Josh Jacobs. However, they ended up not addressing the position in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Granted, the Packers gave Chris Brooks a two-year deal worth $4.85 million before free agency, and there's a chance MarShawn Lloyd will at last stay healthy.
However, neither option inspires much confidence, which is why an NFL analyst has dubbed the Packers a destination for an unsigned veteran.
The Packers are being urged to sign Austin Ekeler to backup Josh Jacobs
Zach Bachar of Bleacher Report drew up a list of potential landing spots for veteran running back Austin Ekeler and included the Packers, pointing out that he could help balance Jacobs' workload.
"Josh Jacobs sits squarely atop Green Bay's running back depth chart, but the possible addition of Ekeler could help reduce Jacobs' workload considering he's averaged 17.9 rush attempts per game over the past four seasons combined," Bachar wrote. "Ekeler may also establish himself as a target for Jordan Love in the Packers' passing attack, as he surpassed 400 receiving yards in six of his eight seasons prior to last year."
On paper, this idea makes sense. An undrafted free agent in 2017, Ekeler signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and went on to become a mainstay of their offense, racking up 1,561 touches for 9,053 yards from scrimmage during his nine-year stint in Southern California. While he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, his pass-catching skills helped earn league-wide recognition.
His best year arguably came in 2022 when he racked up over 900 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns and 107 catches for 722 yards with five touchdowns. If Green Bay were to get that version of Ekeler, he would be a massive upgrade at running back. But that's the thing, the Western Colorado product is no longer that player.
The Bolts let Ekeler walk in 2024. He quickly latched onto the Commanders, but his production didn't pop off the stat sheet. Then, he tore his ACL after just two games last season. All things considered, it looks like his recovery is going well, but it's hard to tell whether he'll be back at full strength.
Couple that with the fact that Ekeler is 30 (old by running back standards), it's easy to see why he's still looking for a team, and why the Packers may not be rushing to sign him.
The Packers do need an RB2 behind Josh Jacobs (even if it's not Austin Ekeler)
Make no mistake, the Packers need reinforcements at running back. And for a brief moment, it seemed like they were going to take care of the position when they hosted Mike Washington Jr. for a visit. However, they had a limited number of selections, and Brian Gutekunst thought he was better off taking care of the needs at edge-rusher, cornerback, and the interior defensive line.
It's possible that Green Bay is high on Brooks. Perhaps this is the year Lloyd finally puts it all together, and maybe Gutekust is banking on either scenario. Then again, it wouldn't have hurt to add a running back in the draft as insurance, as there's a chance neither will take place.
Now that the NFL Draft is in the books, the Packers' best course of action may be to bring in a veteran free agent, but Ekeler would be a risky addition.
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