The Green Bay Packers already dipped into the trade market once to address their uncertainty at running back. CBS Sports believes they may have reason to do it again.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani named Green Bay as a potential landing spot for Tennessee Titans running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
The reason has as much to do with Josh Jacobs as it does Tennessee.
Packers Floated to ‘Double-Dip’ at Running Back
Green Bay acquired Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2028 sixth-round pick on Aug. 30, the same day Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Dajani wondered whether one trade will be enough if the Packers don’t get the news they’re hoping for on Jacobs.
“I thought the Packers could have traded for one of these players instead of Kaleb Johnson before the regular season. Could Green Bay double-dip in the RB trade market if it receives bad news regarding Josh Jacobs’ situation?” Dajani wrote.
Pollard and Spears are both playing on expiring contracts for a Titans team that has opened the season 0-4, giving Tennessee reason to at least listen if another team calls.
Pollard would be the more proven option.
The 29-year-old has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons, including a career-high 1,082 yards in 2025. He has 221 yards and one touchdown on 54 carries through four games this season while adding eight catches for 24 yards.
Spears would offer a different type of option. The 25-year-old has 65 rushing yards on 15 carries and five receptions for 40 yards through four games. He produced 838 scrimmage yards as a rookie in 2023 but hasn’t topped 550 in either of the past two seasons.
Josh Jacobs Situation Keeps Packers Backfield in Focus
Green Bay’s running back situation changed dramatically before the season began.
The NFL placed Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Aug. 30 after he was charged with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May altercation with his girlfriend. Jacobs pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charges on Sept. 10.
He remains listed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which prevents him from practicing or playing in games while the NFL reviews the matter.
That uncertainty was part of why Green Bay moved for Johnson before Week 1. The former Steelers third-round pick has since rushed for 80 yards on 20 carries, including 42 yards on eight attempts in the Packers’ Week 4 win over Tampa Bay.
Johnson has shown flashes, but Green Bay didn’t acquire him to replace a player with Jacobs’ résumé. Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025 after topping 1,300 yards in his first season with the Packers.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in September that Green Bay remained hopeful Jacobs would play this season, but the Packers also had to prepare for either outcome.
That is where Dajani’s “double-dip” idea comes in.
Pollard would give Green Bay an experienced back who has handled a starter’s workload for years. Spears would offer a younger, more versatile option who has caught 132 passes since entering the league in 2023.
Neither move would have made much sense with a healthy, available Jacobs leading the backfield.
With Jacobs still unavailable more than a month into the season, another running back trade is at least a conversation Green Bay may have to revisit.
Packers Trade Idea Has Green Bay Choosing Between AFC RBs