The Green Bay Packers’ running back depth has taken another hit three days before the season opener.
Head coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that veteran Pierre Strong Jr. is dealing with a hamstring injury, via Sports Illustrated‘s Bill Huber. Strong had been working with the rehab group Wednesday after missing the start of practice, a development Huber noted for SI before the nature of the injury was known.
The development spells more uncertainty for Green Bay, which already will open the season without Josh Jacobs. The three-time Pro Bowl back remains on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list and cannot practice or play while the league reviews his situation.
Strong Jr. is on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster, but his experience gave the Packers a safety valve behind MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson.
With Jacobs unavailable, even an injury to a reserve option matters more than it otherwise might.
Strong Injury Adds to Packers’ Thin Backfield
Green Bay’s move Wednesday to sign rookie Damon Bankston to the practice squad is now more noteworthy.
The Packers officially announced Bankston’s addition one day before LaFleur identified Strong Jr.’s hamstring injury. Bankston, an undrafted rookie who spent the summer with the New York Giants, rushed for 2,959 yards and 27 touchdowns over his college career at Weber State and New Mexico.
Strong Jr. provided a more verified NFL alternative. The former fourth-round pick has appeared in 46 regular-season games with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns, rushing for 499 yards and two touchdowns on 99 carries. He also has 26 career receptions for 193 yards and experience as a kickoff returner.
He spent most of the 2025 season on Green Bay’s practice squad and returned for 2026 training camp. Strong ran 15 times for 58 yards during three preseason games this summer, including 37 yards on eight carries against Denver.
His speed had made him a useful change-of-pace candidate behind the Packers’ younger backs. The hamstring issue could leave Green Bay with one fewer experienced insurance policy as LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich sort through a backfield undergoing an abrupt reset.
Packers Lean on Lloyd, Committee Against Vikings
The Packers entered Week 1 preparing for a committee approach.
Stenavich said Tuesday that Green Bay would use a “running back by committee for a little while,” with Lloyd, Brooks, Johnson and Pierre Strong Jr. all part of the discussion. The Packers’ unofficial depth chart lists Lloyd first, followed by Brooks and Johnson.
Lloyd has the most upside, but he goes into Week 1 with only six NFL rushing attempts after injuries derailed much of his first two seasons. Green Bay selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft and has waited for a sustained chance to see his explosiveness covert to regular-season work.
Brooks gives the Packers a dependable pass-protection and short-yardage option, while Johnson is still learning the offense after arriving in a late-August trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That combination made the workload difficult to project, as Strong’s hamstring injury tightens the margin further.
The Packers also have not much reason to assume Jacobs will be available immediately. The NFL placed him on the exempt list Aug. 30, and the league hasn’t announced a timetable for his return. He pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage charges stemming from a May incident, according to Reuters.
Green Bay opens Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, where Brian Flores’ pressure-heavy defense can force running backs to handle important protection assignments in addition to their rushing work.
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