In jazz, sometimes it’s all about the notes you don’t play. And as Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers are tuning up for the 2026 season, one player who might have been ideal for them, but who slipped away on the free-agent market, reveals a subtle but substantial need for the team. One they must still address. Sometimes it’s the players you don’t get who set the tone.
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell could have been Green Bay’s missing piece. And the empty slot where he would have gone remains a very particular gap that they must fill.
After Green Bay didn’t tender Emanuel Wilson and given MarShawn Lloyd has had trouble getting on the field, let alone staying on it, the running back room quietly could use another body. Mitchell would have been the perfect complement to fill out the room.
Green Bay’s current room consists of Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, and Chris Brooks. Jacobs is the obvious starter, Lloyd would presumably be the second, change-of-pace back when healthy, and Brooks would be the third-down, pass-protecting back. With all players healthy, that’s a well-rounded and well-constructed room.
However, the Packers can’t rely on Lloyd being healthy. Therefore, adding a fourth running back, one who can replicate some of what Lloyd offers, makes a lot of sense, and Mitchell would have been that.
The Ravens didn’t tender Keaton Mitchell, and he was an unrestricted free agent. Green Bay brought him in for a visit before the draft in 2023, so there had been some prior interest. However, he signed a two-year deal worth up to $9.25 million with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday morning.
Mitchell has had his fair share of health woes, including a gruesome knee injury in 2023. However, his are more freak occurrences, whereas Lloyd’s are nagging soft-tissue injuries. Therefore, you’d hope Mitchell’s injuries are behind him, barring another freak event. He’s played just 18 games the last two seasons.
Mitchell flashed home-run ability in his three seasons with Baltimore. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash. That’s the most impactful part of his skillset, and one that many fans have been begging the Packers to add to the offense for years. It was a sorely missed skill set last season. Green Bay’s rushing attack was one of the least explosive rushing attacks in the league last season, with just three runs by running backs over 20 yards, all three by Jacobs.
In theory, Lloyd was the perfect player to bring that element to the offense, but he has been unable to provide it. And, in theory, so was Mitchell. One remains a dubious prospect, and the other has gone elsewhere, but still, why not bring in a second guy to (hopefully) ensure you always have a guy with that game-breaking ability?
If all players are healthy (a big if), Mitchell may not have gotten that role on Green Bay’s offense, which may have been something he wanted a clear path to. LA gave him real money. In a run-heavy Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel offense, he will likely have a significant role as the change-of-pace back that McDaniel loves, despite Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal being there as well.
However, from Green Bay’s viewpoint, something that would have been a massive part of the appeal of bringing in Mitchell is that he’s also been a special teams contributor as a kick returner. Therefore, he could have potentially had a role on the team regardless of his offensive role.
The Packers just signed Skyy Moore to a deal reportedly worth up to $4.5 million. Moore was the San Francisco 49ers’ primary punt and kick returner last season. He will be Green Bay’s primary punt returner this season, because they basically didn’t have one last season. They mostly used Romeo Doubs, who would mostly just fair catch the ball, and he has signed with the New England Patriots.
The kick-returner role will likely be more of a competition as Green Bay has several options between Moore, Savion Williams, and Keisean Nixon. However, the Packers would be wise to have many options because they have had issues keeping returners healthy. Mitchell and Moore both finished the 2025 season in the top 10 in average yards per kick return and would have been an upgrade over what Green Bay trotted out there last season.
Mitchell was the perfect value free agent to come in and provide for the Packers in a plethora of ways. He could’ve been an every-game contributor as a change-of-pace, explosive back if Lloyd can’t stay on the field. If Lloyd can stay healthy and Mitchell didn’t get a fair shot on offense, he could’ve still contributed on special teams and been a high-level contingency plan if (when) Lloyd missed time.
Finding an explosive change-of-pace back that can be MarShawn Lloyd insurance and a complement to Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks should still be a priority for Green Bay throughout the rest of free agency and the draft. Mitchell might have been ideal, but now that he’s off the table, Green Bay should keep looking. Just because he turns out to be a note they never got to play doesn’t mean the Packers should change their tune.
