One of the biggest questions facing the Green Bay Packers coming out of Week 1 was how the running back split would be determined. Josh Jacobs was expected to be the Packers’ bell cow, but he is currently on the Commissioner’s exempt list. It left them with MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson.
None of the three have the experience or pedigree to be given the lead. In the first week, the Packers had a two-man split, with the newcomer Johnson being out of the mix.
The veteran Brooks led the way for Green Bay, with 37 snaps. Lloyd was second with 30, and Johnson had zero.
The big difference between the two was pass protection. Lloyd was on the field for 13 rushing plays while Brooks was on the field for eight. Lloyd had all 13 carries while Brooks had just seven.
Still, Brooks ended up playing 30 snaps on passing downs, while Lloyd only played 16. Brooks stayed in to pass protect 20 times, while Lloyd was a pass protector on just seven snaps. Neither caught a pass.
So, Brooks led the way, but the Packers trailing in the second-half and getting into more of a pass-happy offensive scheme was the reason.
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The role for Brooks could have been expected. Brooks is entering his third year with the Packers. He has currently played 70 snaps where he was on the field and the team called a designed run. Meanwhile, he has run 222 routes and has 82 snaps in pass protection.
Last year, he had 106 rushing yards and 91 in the passing game. He is a pass-down back first.
Lloyd has not shown enough in that area to take over. Still, the 13 carries that Lloyd attempted more than doubled the amount of work he had in his first two years.
Injuries were the name of the game for Lloyd in his first two seasons. Fortunately for him, he got through his first game of 2026 healthy. Now, they will try to put more on his plate.
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The usage of Johnson was hotly debated coming into the game. On one hand, he is familiar with the scheme. He had people on the coaching staff familiar with him as well. Johnson was drafted most recently of their running backs and he was drafted the highest of their backs.
So, the combination of upside and familiarity could have led for him to see the field early. Still, the team traded for him about three weeks ago. He was in the doghouse for the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp. So, it is not a surprise that it took a few weeks to get him up to speed.
Now, the question is whether Johnson can get some more work as the season goes on and he gets more familiar with the offensive environment.
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