Jacobs stuck on the sideline
Green Bay will open the preseason without its lead back. Packers running back Josh Jacobs remains sidelined with a groin injury, and head coach Matt LaFleur said today that Jacobs is out “at least this week.” He worked with a training group on a side field rather than joining full practice.
The timing matters because Green Bay plays its preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. LaFleur said starting quarterback Jordan Love will be available for that game. Jacobs will not.
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An opening for MarShawn Lloyd
Jacobs’ absence hands reps to MarShawn Lloyd, whom LaFleur singled out as a camp bright spot and expects to run with the No. 1 offense on Thursday. That is a notable line for a player who has barely been on the field. Since Green Bay drafted him in the third round in 2024, injuries have limited the 28-year-old to six regular-season carries for 15 yards. The preseason hands him a rare runway.
What Green Bay stands to miss
Jacobs is not a piece a contender wants to rush back, which is why the caution reads as sensible. He ran for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns across 15 starts last season and chipped in 36 catches for 282 yards and a score. The résumé runs deeper than one year. A three-time Pro Bowler and the 2022 first-team All-Pro, Jacobs led the entire NFL in rushing that season with 1,653 yards while still with the Las Vegas Raiders, who drafted him in the first round in 2019.
His career ledger sits at 7,803 rushing yards on 1,840 carries with 74 touchdowns over 105 games, plus 269 receptions for 2,072 yards. Green Bay signed him to a four-year, $48 million deal in 2024 to be the engine of its run game. A groin strain in August is not the alarm. A groin strain that drags into September would be.
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