We’re officially one week away from Packers rookies reporting to Green Bay for training camp, so it’s time to tie a bow on our roster preview series. The big question at this position is whether running back Josh Jacobs will or won’t face legal and/or league ramifications for an alleged domestic abuse incident, but at this time the Brown County district attorney is still investigating the case and has not made a decision, one way or another, on the situation.
We’ll touch on Jacobs’ potential on-field impact, along with the rest of the backs on the roster, in this article, but if you want to read any of our previous installments in this series, here are our breakdowns of Green Bay’s other position rooms:
Josh Jacobs
If able, Josh Jacobs will be the Packers’ starting running back in 2026. If is the big question here. Green Bay has allowed Jacobs to return to practice for the Packers after he was released from jail, and the team has communicated little with the public about their stance on Jacobs. Generally, when members of the team have been questioned about Jacobs, they refer back to the team’s statement and add no further information.
Remember, these situations can take some time. There’s no promise that Brown County has to make their decision before the start of the regular season. For perspective, the Ray Rice video dropped on TMZ 205 days after the incident actually occurred back in 2014.
Until Brown County makes a decision, the possibility of a Jacobs suspension lingers. As a reminder, too, the league isn’t held to the legal system. They are free to suspend a player, essentially up to the discretion of the commissioner, whether or not the player is found guilty or not in a court of law.
MarShawn Lloyd
The next man up from a ball-carrier perspective is 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd, who has only played in one regular-season game in two years due to a string of injuries. The staff clearly likes Lloyd, as they’ve talked him up every offseason and are still giving him the opportunity to make the roster this year, but it’s hard for fans to trust a back who has only been healthy enough to play 10 offensive snaps over two years.
Beyond Jacobs’ situation, the biggest X-factor in the Packers’ backfield in 2026 is whether or not Lloyd will be healthy or not. Hopefully, he can have his first healthy season in his NFL career. The team needs him now more than ever, as Emanuel Wilson, who was previously the number two ball-carrier in Green Bay, signed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.
Chris Brooks
While Chris Brooks has never had a large volume of carries, he did essentially average the same per carry as Wilson did last year. With that being said, Brooks is used more as almost a fullback, as he sees the field frequently in split-back looks as the team’s lead blocker and on obvious passing downs where he enters the game as an extra pass-protector who helps allow tight ends to instantly release into a route.
On top of the blocking contributions on offense, Brooks plays some of the most special teams snaps of any running back in the NFL, usually in a blocking role. He is the only back who contributes in any meaningful way on special teams, and he’s one of the team’s core players in that unit. His roster spot shouldn’t be at risk, considering how his unique skillset frees up the Packers’ roster in other ways.
Pierre Strong Jr.
Pierre Strong Jr. signed with the Packers’ practice squad in early September last year and was actually activated for two regular season games in 2025, even though he never got on the field for those two games. The former fourth-round pick has posted 692 yards from scrimmage over four years in the league, with the majority of those yards (550) coming in a two-season stretch with the Cleveland Browns.
As of right now, he’s probably the next man up if there’s an injury (or suspension) at the position, but if everyone can go, Strong will likely be a practice squad candidate going into the 2026 regular season. Keep an eye on the backfield this preseason.
Damien Martinez
Damien Martinez is another former draft pick, as he was selected in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2025 after he was initially mocked as a potential top-100 selection going into draft week. Not only did Martinez slip in the draft, though, but he failed to make the Seahawks’ initial roster and was eventually released from the team’s practice squad.
Clearly, there was some talent to Martinez’s game (he was twice an All-Pac-12 back before his transfer to Miami in 2024), but the 22-year-0ld was out of the NFL entirely from September 19th (when he was released from the Seahawks’ practice squad) to December 30th (when he signed with the Packers’ practice squad).
Martinez could push Strong, and is five years younger than Strong, but that will be sorted out in the preseason.
Jaden Nixon
The only new face in the Packers’ backfield this year is former UCF running back Jaden Nixon, who also worked as a kick returner for the Knights in college. As an undrafted free agent, Nixon signed with Green Bay for just $15,000 in guaranteed money. For perspective, the Packers gave 11 times that (or more) to five other undrafted free agents this cycle.
$15,000 guaranteed places Nixon 18th among undrafted running backs alone, and 12 running backs league-wide took home at least $90,000 guaranteed this undrafted free agent cycle. One of those high-guaranteed backs was Damon Bankston of New Mexico, who the Packers had in on a pre-draft visit before he ended up signing with the New York Giants.
Personally, I don’t have super high hopes for Nixon, considering his low guarantees, and think that Green Bay might take another look at Bankston, who they seemed to want more than Nixon until they saw the price tag associated with him, if he becomes available at some point in 2026.