The Green Bay Packers may be losing Josh Jacobs for several weeks due to a broken finger, but the irony of it is that the details of his temporary departure from the team might actually dictate that the Packers cut another member of the position group, even while the odds that Green Bay trades for a running back ostensibly go up if Jones must miss time.
Basically, how the Packers proceed is going to depend on whether they believe Jacobs will miss time, and if so, how much time he will miss.
“[Packers head coach Matt] LaFleur wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Jacobs would go on IR, but he said they might not have to add a running back because Chris Brooks could be ready to return from IR,” Rob Demovsky of ESPN reported via X on Monday, November 9.
Josh Jacobs to IR Represents Big Decision for Packers
If Jacobs does go on IR, that means the team expects him to miss at least four games. In that case, Brooks can return and the Packers can continue as planned, needing only to readjust if they decide to make a trade for a running back in the next day before the deadline.
However, if Jacobs might return to play in three weeks or less and therefore doesn’t go on IR, and if Brooks also comes off of IR, then Green Bay faces a tougher call.
“There will be a logjam at running back from a roster perspective with Jacobs, Brooks, [MarShawn] Lloyd, [Kaleb] Johnson and [Pierre] Strong,” Bill Huber of ON SI wrote Monday. “If Jacobs is only going to be out a few games, injured reserve will not be an option to create a spot on the roster.”
Pierre Strong Most Likely Cut Candidate in Packers’ RB Room
That set of circumstances, should it become reality, will require Green Bay to cut one running back they hope can clear the waiver wire process, at which point the Packers could pick that player back up and add him to the practice squad.
The only real candidate for such a process is Pierre Strong, who is in his fourth year of league service, which means he is still subject to the waiver wire upon his release. Thus, if the Packers don’t put Jacobs on IR and welcome Brooks back into the fold, they probably release Strong and hope no other RB-needy team claims him.
Lloyd sat out Week 9 with a knee injury, but he’s a former third-round pick (2024) with another season on his rookie deal in 2027. Meanwhile, Johnson is a former third-round pick (2025) with another two years remaining on his deal for whom Green Bay traded the Pittsburgh Steelers a sixth-round draft pick.
Strong, a fourth-rounder in 2022, has earned $5.1 million over the course of his NFL career. A dual-threat back, the 27 year old has tallied 558 rushing yards and two TDs on the ground as well as 36 catches for 254 yards across 51 games played (one start).
He has appeared in five contests for the Packers this season, tallying 59 rushing yards on 25 carries and 61 receiving yards on 10 catches. Strong, who has played stints with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns previously, has also returned 24 kickoffs for 570 yards on special teams.
Packers May Release $5 Million RB After Josh Jacobs Injury