We are rapidly approaching the first Sunday of the 2025 NFL season, and with it, one of the most anticipated Green Bay Packers’ season openers in recent memory.
It was a quiet start to the offseason, with minimal action during free agency. However, general manager Brian Gutekunst made a splash at the draft when he selected Matthew Golden, the team’s first Day 1 receiver selection since 2002.
Overall, Green Bay was projected to finish above average but unspectacular. That suddenly changed when Gutekunst made a seismic trade straight out of fan fiction last week. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons was dealt to Titletown in a blockbuster that sent Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and a pair of first-round picks to Dallas.
The Packers catapulted to favorites in the NFC North and now enter the season riding a massive wave of hype and momentum. Golden has looked fantastic throughout training camp and figures to be Jordan Love’s top target from the very first snap. The two E-ticket additions mirror Gutekunst’s work from a year ago, when he signed running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney on the open market.
In the offseason, Jacobs called for a couple more pieces, including specifically a No. 1 receiver type, in his postgame interview following the team’s playoff elimination. Heading into Week 1, all the pieces appear to be in place. Even cornerback, which has been a point of concern all offseason, suddenly feels like less of an issue with Parsons and Rashan Gary teaming up to rush the passer.
An under-the-radar question that we don’t yet have a clear answer to is who will spell Jacobs in the backfield. For a glorious hour after inking Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million deal, fans believed he was set to team up with Aaron Jones to form a lethal duo.
Then, they promptly released Jones, and Gutekunst put any questions to rest by selecting USC’s MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 draft. Lloyd had a rookie year from hell, struggling with injuries ranging from his hamstring to appendicitis, which required surgery. While he followed up his de facto redshirt season with an encouraging camp, he now finds himself back on the injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2 of the preseason.
Just like that, the undrafted runner out of Fort Valley State, Emanuel Wilson, appears poised to get the call. He performed well behind Jacobs in 2024, totaling 4.9 yards per carry and four scores over 103 rushes. Down the stretch of the season, he surrendered carries to former Miami Dolphins running back Christopher Brooks, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 36 totes.
Both players have been productive. Matt LaFleur figures to employ both of them to spell Jacobs early in the season, particularly if the Packers want to ease in their bellcow, who carried the ball over 300 times last season. With his continued inability to stay on the field, both Lloyd’s short-term role and long-term future are likely in doubt. He has continued to feed Wilson and Brooks the opportunity to seize ancillary roles in the offense, and they have been productive.
LaFleur’s run-heavy scheme relied heavily on Jacobs in 2024, but it will need to do a better job helping the 27-year-old out through the air. The onus will fall heavily on Love, Golden, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs in that regard, but it won’t hurt to insert a receiving back on passing downs. Jacobs excels in short-yardage situations and as an early-down bruiser.
Jacobs never caught a touchdown pass in five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. It was a point of emphasis to get him more involved in Green Bay. They made some progress, but you can only ask so much of a single player.
As a receiver, Brooks has the edge over Wilson. He’s a versatile back who excels at pass blocking, receiving, and has utility on special teams. However, a heavy emphasis on receiving ability would give the overall edge to a healthy Lloyd, whose dynamism the Packers have sought to capitalize on.
Lloyd sustained his injury while being targeted on a wheel route deep down the field. It remains to be seen where these three will fall as puzzle pieces in LaFleur’s offense. Until Lloyd is healthy, it feels like anyone’s game. Should Jacobs miss time, Wilson would be the likely favorite to step into the RB1 role, and he appears to have the most trust from the coaching staff as of now.
On the other hand, Brooks excels in many areas and could potentially eat into Wilson’s reps in the early part of the season. Their respective snap counts will be worth watching heading into Week 1.
