In less than a month, the barricades will be up, and the bikes will line up next to Lambeau Field for their chance to carry players down Dream Drive to Ray Nitschke Field. It will be time for the Green Bay Packers' training camp once again. Things can change with just a few minutes and a phone call in the NFL, but as of right now, all those who will be making that journey who are favorites to enter the fall on the squad are likely already on the Packers' roster. There may be a few roster battles for starting and backup positions, but none of them have more question marks around them than the running backs. 

Heading into the NFL Draft this past April, it was easy to look at the Packers' running backs and think, "They have their solid starter, but it wouldn't hurt to have an insurance policy for the number two back." Josh Jacobs was easily RB1, and it was between Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks for RB2. Given Marshawn Lloyd's injury history, it wouldn't have been unheard of for the Packers to draft a running back or even sign a low-budget free agent. Even when they didn't do this and only signed an undrafted free agent in Jaden Nixon, it wasn't a big concern for them to wait and see how Lloyd does in camp before checking the market. 

That was then; this is now. 

On May 26, right as OTAs were getting kicked off, Josh Jacobs was arrested on multiple domestic abuse-related charges. He was released the next day due to a lack of evidence to charge and has returned to the team since for practices, but the case is still open, and things can change if more evidence is presented. What was supposed to be a glorious start to the road back to football season instead got hit with speculation and controversy. 

Now, instead of cruising up to the starting line of the season with all four tires bolted and ready to go, it feels almost as if one of those tires has a few lug nuts loose that could make it fall off and completely derail everything before it even gets started. Instead of just worrying about Josh Jacobs' backup, we're worried about Jacobs himself. If Marshawn Lloyd is once again plagued by injuries, and Jacobs ends up in legal trouble and off the team, it would not be promising to roll out an RB3 and a few practice squad graduates. 

So, what can the Packers do for their 2026 backfield to make us all breathe a little easier?

Options in the backfield

Obviously, the ideal situation would be for the allegations against Josh Jacobs to be dropped and for Marshawn Lloyd to have his first-ever fully healthy season en route to becoming an outstanding RB2 option behind Jacobs. Even if Jacobs misses time or his time with the Packers comes to an end, Lloyd staying healthy and emerging as a serviceable RB1 would be a decent situation. But this is the NFL, and an insurance policy wouldn't be a bad idea. 

Behind the top 3 options, the Packers currently have Damien Martinez, Pierre Strong Jr., and UDFA Jaden Nixon. Strong Jr. is the only player in that mix with any NFL experience, with 99 carries to his name, but likely won't be a massive contributor this season. Nixon could be a sneaky addition to provide some decent production, but I wouldn't bet the farm on him becoming a good RB2, at least not yet. And Martinez may be in the same boat for not being an option you'd stack your season on. 

Recently, a few weeks back, the Packers were linked to a possible trade for edge rusher Josh Sweat. However, it's been said that Arizona's asking price is too high, so those developments are at a standstill. Another rumored reason for that flame to die down has also been the possibility of the Packers needing to trade for a running back in the event of Josh Jacobs' situation going south. The team likely finds the use of draft capital to trade for a running back option a higher priority than an edge rusher. So, who could they be looking to trade for?

Perhaps the biggest name that's been floated around in the running back space for a trade is the Saints' Alvin Kamara. With the Saints likely moving forward with Travis Etienne as their RB1, Kamara becomes expendable despite his star status in New Orleans. Kamara is on the "wrong" side of 30, but he could still provide the Packers with a borderline RB1 option. He's two years removed from a 950-yard season, and that was behind a questionable Saints quarterback situation, so there is a chance a healthy Kamara could be fairly productive in a potent Packers offense. The rumor floating around is that it could only take a fifth-round pick to get it done, and with the Packers owning a multitude of picks, especially in the mid-rounds of the 2027 draft, they may be willing to use one to make that happen. 

Other options via trade could be going back to the Arizona Cardinals once again for Tyler Allgeier or Trey Benson. Allgeier was thought of as a close RB2 to James Connor, but the drafting of the third overall pick, Jeremiyah Love, could make an Allgeier trade possible. Trey Benson may be the perfect odd-man-out trade in Arizona. The former third-round pick could provide a good rotational running back option for the Packers. It's hard to imagine the Arizona trading Allgeier, whom they just signed in March, but he was signed before they drafted Jeremiyah Love, and if the right price comes, the Cardinals may budge. But it's more likely than not that the AZ back-to-go would be Trey Benson, and he may only cost a 6th-round pick. 

The Packers are likely waiting on Josh Jacobs' situation to fully play out before making any type of RB move. It's just the Brian Gutekunst way of doing business. There's nothing wrong with that, but if I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind them budging on that philosophy a little and sending a 5th round pick to New Orleans for a year of Alvin Kamara just to ensure a bit of a contingency plan in the event either Jacobs or Lloyd are unavailable. We will have to sit back and see how it all plays out, but if you want to compete, you have to prepare yourself for handling adversity.