When the Green Bay Packers released Aaron Jones this offseason, they lost not only one of the best running backs the organization had ever had, but also one of their top leaders. Fortunately, when they landed free agent Josh Jacobs, they found the perfect replacement.
Jacobs, who was a five-year pro before coming to Green Bay, was highly respected within the Las Vegas Raiders organization. Jacobs brought those leadership skills to the Packers’ locker room.
“He’s amazing. He’s a great leader, a great teammate, just a great example for everyone,” head coach Matt LaFleur said of Jacobs after the Week 7 win over the Houston Texans. “He is completely selfless in what he does. He was a great addition to our locker room.”
Jacobs’ leadership responsibilities include mentoring freshman MarShawn Lloyd. On Monday, Jacobs said he was giving Lloyd a ride to practice every day while the third-round pick was injured to make sure he was in the right headspace.
Jacobs expects Lloyd to return to practice this week after missing the last seven games with an ankle injury. Last week, general manager Brian Gutekunst suggested that Lloyd would be activated from injured reserve to fill the roster spot left by forward Preston Smith, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In addition to being an experienced leader, Jacobs was also expected to replace Jones. In eight seasons with the Packers, Jones ranks third in franchise history with 5,940 rushing yards.
That kind of production may seem impossible to replace, but Green Bay knew what they were getting when they brought in Jacobs. In two fewer seasons, Jacobs isn’t far behind Jones in career rushing yards. He was also the league rushing champion in 2022, something Jones has never accomplished.
Through the first nine games of the 2024 season, Jacobs has been impressive, ranking fourth in the NFL with 762 rushing yards. He helped achieve results not seen in over two decades. The Packers’ 1,393 rushing yards were the most in the first nine games of a season since 2003.
The scary thing is that Jacobs thinks the running game could be even better.
“We did pretty well as a team, and it’s crazy because we could have been so much better,” Jacobs said. “I think the coolest part of this second half of the season is striving for excellence, striving to be great as a team and trying to come back every day and focus on ourselves.”
Thanks largely to Jacobs, Green Bay’s rushing attack is performing better than it has in years. However, as much as Jacobs is on the field, what he does off of it is also incredibly valuable.
