The Green Bay Packers face a delicate balancing act at running back as Josh Jacobs returns from the Commissioner’s Exempt List, casting uncertainty over the role of trade acquisition Kaleb Johnson.
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season for a 2028 sixth-round pick, Johnson arrived with the rights to his remaining rookie-contract years, offering the team cost-controlled depth amid Jacobs’ absence.
With the veteran back ready to reclaim the starting job for Week 7, however, the backfield hierarchy has crystallized in ways that leave Johnson on the outside looking in, according to Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company.
Johnson’s early-season opportunities produced mixed results at best. After sitting out Week 1 while adjusting to the offense, he logged 16 snaps and eight carries for 32 yards in Week 2. His snap count rose the following week, yet efficiency cratered with just four rushes for six yards.
By Week 4, he was seeing more work and gained 42 yards, only to fumble in a critical spot near the goal line that kept the opposing team in the game. Usage then dwindled sharply: nine mostly garbage-time snaps in Week 5 and just four in Week 6.
The pattern suggests the coaching staff never fully trusted him as a reliable contributor.
With Jacobs activated, the pecking order appears settled.
Jacobs will start, MarShawn Lloyd slides into the primary backup role after taking over once Johnson’s opportunities faded, and Pierre Strong handles the passing-down work that Chris Brooks previously owned.
Strong’s versatility on third downs and special teams gives him clearer game-day value. Analysts note that while Strong can be demoted to the practice squad more easily than Johnson, the Packers can still elevate him weekly for active duty.
That approach would leave Johnson, whose three remaining cost-controlled years make him harder to part with, as the likely inactive on game days—a developmental prospect kept on the roster but largely sidelined.
Head coach Matt LaFleur had already signaled a preference for this arrangement. Earlier in the year he indicated that Strong would have been active in Week 1 had he been healthy, even as a practice-squad player. Johnson’s limited special-teams utility only compounds the difficulty of carving out a meaningful role.
The Packers are limited to three practice-squad elevations for Strong before they must either sign him or release him, a decision that looms by Week 9.
Until then, Johnson is expected to remain on the sideline while the team evaluates whether he develops into a longer-term option or becomes surplus once the roster math tightens.
For a former third-round pick seeking a fresh start after an underwhelming rookie year in Pittsburgh, the return of Jacobs has accelerated a difficult reality: opportunity in Green Bay has proven scarce, and the path back onto the field looks narrow.
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