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The Green Bay Packers open training camp on Wednesday, July 29, marking the unofficial start of the 2026 season for Matt LaFleur's team. After a third straight playoff appearance but another disappointing postseason failure, the Packers are hoping to finally get over the hump in 2026. The process begins in full on July 29.
Packers Wire will go position by position previewing the roster, highlighting battles to watch, the things that actually matter and young players to monitor this summer.
Here is our training camp preview of the running back position:
If all goes right, the Packers' running back situation appears to have all the pieces: a veteran workhorse who has scored 30 touchdowns over the last two seasons in Josh Jacobs, a versatile, do-everything backup in Chris Brooks, a recent top-100 pick with legit explosiveness and untapped potential in MarShawn Lloyd and two capable end-of-the-depth-chart competitors in Pierre Strong Jr. and Damien Martinez, who were both draft picks. But the question marks are many, leaving the position in perilous shape. Jacobs is dealing with an off-the-field legal situation. Brooks has never been a featured player. Lloyd has played in one game in two seasons due to relentless injury issues. If things start to go wrong, such as the acceleration of Jacobs' legal situation or another injury to Lloyd, the Packers may need to add reinforcements from the outside at some point before the start of the regular season. -- Zach Kruse
Assuming Josh Jacobs’ legal troubles won’t get in the way of him playing in 2026, the Packers can no longer rely on Emanuel Wilson as their No. 2 running back. Wilson tallied 496 rushing yards last season across 125 carries (4.0 ypc) and was also an efficient receiver, catching 15 out of 17 targets. It will likely be a two-man battle between MarShawn Lloyd, who has all the tools to fill the role but can’t stay healthy, and Chris Brooks, who runs hard and is reliable in pass protection but isn’t dynamic with the ball in his hands. At the very least, Green Bay needs a serviceable backup to spell Jacobs, and training camp should shed light on who that might be. -- Brandon Carwile
The elephant in Green Bay’s running back room is Josh Jacobs’ legal issues, as the case remains open following his alleged domestic violence incident back in May. How this impacts the Packers is far from the most important issue at hand, but it is something that will obviously be discussed until there is a resolution one way or the other. If Jacobs ends up missing games or being released by the team, it will clearly have a significant knock on effect at running back, as the need for MarShawn Lloyd to stay healthy and make good on his talent will be even more important. Unfortunately, we may have to keep talking about Jacobs’ legal troubles for a while yet. -- Mark Oldacres
Can Lloyd finally stay healthy? Right now, he seems to be a figment of our imagination rather than a member of the Packers. If Lloyd can stay healthy, he has the skillset that the Packers rushing attack needs. He provides juice. Green Bay’s rushing attack lacked explosiveness, and they did nothing to address that this offseason, putting their eggs squarely in the Lloyd staying healthy basket. Lloyd has played in just one game since being drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and this will be huge training camp for him to see if he can get through the summer unscathed. If he can manage to stay healthy, he could help take the offense to the next level. -- Brennen Rupp
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers training camp preview: Question marks aplenty at running back
Continue reading...
Packers Wire will go position by position previewing the roster, highlighting battles to watch, the things that actually matter and young players to monitor this summer.
Here is our training camp preview of the running back position:
On the roster (5)
- Josh Jacobs: Three-time Pro Bowler who has over 2,000 career touches over seven seasons and is dealing with off-the-field issues this offseason.
- Chris Brooks: Do-it-all option who can catch the ball out of the backfield and block in pass pro.
- MarShawn Lloyd: The 2024 third-round pick is dynamic, but because of injuries, he's played in only one regular season game in two seasons.
- Pierre Strong Jr: Former fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft who has played in 46 career games and has kickoff return experience.
- Damien Martinez: 2025 seventh-round pick who joined the Packers practice squad late in the season last year.
Positional breakdown
If all goes right, the Packers' running back situation appears to have all the pieces: a veteran workhorse who has scored 30 touchdowns over the last two seasons in Josh Jacobs, a versatile, do-everything backup in Chris Brooks, a recent top-100 pick with legit explosiveness and untapped potential in MarShawn Lloyd and two capable end-of-the-depth-chart competitors in Pierre Strong Jr. and Damien Martinez, who were both draft picks. But the question marks are many, leaving the position in perilous shape. Jacobs is dealing with an off-the-field legal situation. Brooks has never been a featured player. Lloyd has played in one game in two seasons due to relentless injury issues. If things start to go wrong, such as the acceleration of Jacobs' legal situation or another injury to Lloyd, the Packers may need to add reinforcements from the outside at some point before the start of the regular season. -- Zach Kruse
What to watch: Who will emerge as RB2?
Assuming Josh Jacobs’ legal troubles won’t get in the way of him playing in 2026, the Packers can no longer rely on Emanuel Wilson as their No. 2 running back. Wilson tallied 496 rushing yards last season across 125 carries (4.0 ypc) and was also an efficient receiver, catching 15 out of 17 targets. It will likely be a two-man battle between MarShawn Lloyd, who has all the tools to fill the role but can’t stay healthy, and Chris Brooks, who runs hard and is reliable in pass protection but isn’t dynamic with the ball in his hands. At the very least, Green Bay needs a serviceable backup to spell Jacobs, and training camp should shed light on who that might be. -- Brandon Carwile
One thing that actually matters: Is there a resolution on Josh Jacobs’ legal situation?
The elephant in Green Bay’s running back room is Josh Jacobs’ legal issues, as the case remains open following his alleged domestic violence incident back in May. How this impacts the Packers is far from the most important issue at hand, but it is something that will obviously be discussed until there is a resolution one way or the other. If Jacobs ends up missing games or being released by the team, it will clearly have a significant knock on effect at running back, as the need for MarShawn Lloyd to stay healthy and make good on his talent will be even more important. Unfortunately, we may have to keep talking about Jacobs’ legal troubles for a while yet. -- Mark Oldacres
Young player to watch: MarShawn Lloyd
Can Lloyd finally stay healthy? Right now, he seems to be a figment of our imagination rather than a member of the Packers. If Lloyd can stay healthy, he has the skillset that the Packers rushing attack needs. He provides juice. Green Bay’s rushing attack lacked explosiveness, and they did nothing to address that this offseason, putting their eggs squarely in the Lloyd staying healthy basket. Lloyd has played in just one game since being drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and this will be huge training camp for him to see if he can get through the summer unscathed. If he can manage to stay healthy, he could help take the offense to the next level. -- Brennen Rupp
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers training camp preview: Question marks aplenty at running back
Continue reading...
