The Green Bay Packers’ reported decision not to tender running back Emanuel Wilson will send Green Bay’s reliable No. 2 to unrestricted free agency. Of course, there’s always a chance Green Bay could re-sign Wilson, but that seems doubtful considering the way the RB market is shaping up, coupled with the Packers not tendering him in the first place.
Now the Packers are all of a sudden in the market for running back depth.
General manager Brian Gutekunst doubled down on his Josh Jacobs stance at the NFL Combine when he stated Jacobs will “absolutely” be the featured back in 2026. Gutekunst said something similar, although not identical, about Aaron Jones just a couple of years ago, before releasing Jones later that offseason. With Jacobs, it feels different.
If we are to take Gutekunst at his word on this one, the Packers have checked the box of starting running back for 2026. Behind Jacobs, things get pretty wonky.
Wilson wasn’t just filler for the Packers, either. The durable back carried the rock over 100 times in each of the last two seasons and racked up 502 yards in 2024 and 496 last season. Filling those shoes won’t be easy.
In an ideal world, 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd would take the baton. But it would be incredibly risky to rely on Lloyd’s health after the past two years. The last time we heard Lloyd’s name mentioned was in December when head coach Matt LaFleur all but ruled him out for the year.
It’s one of those things that’s very, very, very unfortunate, because this guy has worked his ass off to battle back and to be in that spot again, what do you say to him? We’ll continue to investigate and try to figure out why this keeps occurring, but it’s certainly unfortunate. I feel bad, I really do, I feel extremely bad for MarShawn.
Lloyd didn’t return and didn’t play in a single game in 2025 due to injuries. Despite his college tape looking good, Lloyd has been unable to stay healthy. It hasn’t just been one nagging injury, either, and the sheer quantity of health woes has started to pile up.
Green Bay could cross its fingers and roll the dice, betting that Lloyd gets healthy in 2026. It’s unlikely the Packers take that gamble, though. With Wilson possibly on his way out and the same for Chris Brooks, Green Bay will be in the market for depth and a potential RB2.
Using a luxury draft pick on the position feels like a stretch, given that Jacobs should be back and the Packers have other pressing needs. In a year where the Packers don’t have a first-round pick, taking a running back with their first or second selection in Round 2 or 3 would border on shocking.
They’ll have to fill that group out in some capacity, though, and later in the draft would be a more likely opportunity. And, of course, there’s always free agency. Taking a big swing on someone like Kenneth Walker is unlikely given Jacobs’ pending return. Still, the Packers will have to fill out the running back room one way or another.
It remains unclear how the Packers view Lloyd’s potential. At this point, they might expect very little, and any production he can provide is a pleasant surprise. That’s why bringing back either Wilson or Brooks made sense. Wilson has familiarity with the system and ran in the No. 2 role each of the last two seasons. On paper, it was an obvious fit, but the Packers are choosing to use financial resources elsewhere.
As long as Jacobs stays healthy, he could be a bell cow like he was in 2024. A knee injury suffered against the New York Giants, further aggravated weeks later in Denver, limited Jacobs in the second half of last season, and he didn’t quite look the same for large stretches after that.
At age 28, it’s a safe bet that as long as Jacobs is healthy in 2026, he can carry the workload. He was one of just six running backs to eclipse 300 carries in 2024 and was third in rushing touchdowns with 15. Last year felt like an outlier more than a sign of things to come.
Even an optimistic assessment of Jacobs’ 2026 health status doesn’t change the fact that the Packers need talent behind him. And, with Lloyd remaining a mystery box — perhaps never to be opened, at this point — Green Bay suddenly has a pressing new item on its to-do list this offseason.