For years, Green Bay Packers fans have been eager to sign “big name” free agents to help Aaron Rodgers bring home another Lombardi trophy to title town. However, not many big moves were made during most of Aaron Rodgers’ career. Most of the improvement came through drafting and developing players. With Aaron Rodgers gone, a new chapter started for Green Bay. Fans finally have gotten a taste of what they have longed for all these years. The Packers signed two of the most sought-after free agents this off-season, Josh Jacobs and Xavier Mckinney.
The news was bittersweet, however. After Jacobs signing, the Packers fans learned that soon after that, they would lose the heart and soul of the team, Aaron Jones. According to reports, contract negotiations went sour, and ultimately, Green Bay could not retain him at the price tag they were comfortable with.
Aaron Jones was the perfect example of what fans look for in professional athletes in Green Bay. He is respectful, hard-working, humble, and a role model for his teammates and fans—something that Midwestern values more than other places. The loss of Jones to the Packers does hurt, but he was fun to watch for the seven seasons he wore the “G.”
Even though Jones is wearing purple now, and most fans are disheartened, Packers fans have much to be excited about when it comes to Jones replacement, Josh Jacobs. Did the Packers sign the best running back in the NFL?
College Career
Josh Played for three seasons at Alabama. He finished his college career with 1,493 yards rushing on 253 attempts and an average of 5.9 yards per attempt. Jacobs also scored 21 touchdowns. After playing three seasons at one of the top college football programs, Jacobs returned with minimal wear and tear on his body. That is partially due to his broken ankle in 2017, which sidelined him for most of the season.
At the combine, Jacobs performed poorly and returned with a 5.65 RAS score, which ranked 585th out of 1344 back-tested since 1987. Even with a poor showing at the combine, his film was too hard to ignore, and he ended up being drafted with the 24th pick in the 2019 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. Oddly enough, the pick was acquired from the Khalil Mack trade from the Packer’s rival, the Bears.
NFL Career
Jacobs came right out of the gates like an NFL All-Star. It only took Jacobs eight games to break the Raiders franchise record for rushing yards. A shoulder injury cut short his season, but he had accomplished enough to be named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. He also won the PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
- 2019 – (Rookie Season) (Played 13 games)
- Rushing Yards – 1,150 (7th in NFL)
- Receiving Yards – 166
- Yards per Carry – 4.8 (Tied for 5th with Christian McCaffrey)
- Rushing Touchdowns – 7
- Receiving Touchdowns- 0
- Forced Missed Tackles – 69 (Best in NFL)
- Yards after contact – 842 (7th in NFL)
- PFF Team Run Blocking Grade – 59.6 (18th in NFL)
- Overall PFF grade/ Rank – 87.1 (2nd best in NFL)
- 2020 – (Pro Bowler)
- Rushing Yards – 1,065 (8th)
- Receiving Yards – 238
- Yards per Carry – 3.9
- Rushing Touchdowns – 12 (Tied for 4th)
- Receiving Touchdowns – 0
- Forced Missed Tackles – 51 (Tied for 5th)
- Yards after contact – 770 (5th best behind Nick Chubb)
- PFF Team Run Blocking Grade – 59.3 (26th in NFL)
- Overall PFF grade/ Rank – 76.3 (19th in NFL)
- 2021 – (Made Playoffs)
- Rushing Yards – 955
- Receiving Yards – 392
- Yards per Carry – 4.2
- Rushing Touchdowns – 9 (8th in the NFL)
- Receiving Touchdowns – 0
- Forced Missed Tackles – 60 (3rd in NFL)
- Yards after contact – 617 (14th in NFL)
- PFF Team Run Blocking Grade – 54.9 (29th in NFL)
- Overall PFF grade/ Rank – 77.7 (9th in NFL)
- 2022 – (Best Season as a Pro)
- Rushing Yards – 1,653 (Best in NFL by 119 yards)
- Receiving Yards – 400
- Yards per Carry – 4.9 (6th in NFL)
- Rushing Touchdowns – 12 (4th in NFL)
- Receiving Touchdowns – 0
- Forced Missed Tackles – 90 (Best in NFL)
- Yards after contact – 1,156 (2nd in NFL to Derrick Henry)
- PFF Team Run Blocking Grade – 57.9 (17th Best in NFL)
- Overall PFF grade/ Rank – 91.6 (Best in NFL)
- 2023 – (Franchise Tag Season)
- Rushing Yards – 805
- Receiving Yards – 296
- Yards per Carry – 3.5
- Rushing Touchdowns – 6
- Receiving Touchdowns – 0
- Forced Missed Tackles – 28
- Yards after contact – 547
- PFF Team Run Blocking Grade – 62.9 (14th in NFL)
- Overall PFF grade/ Rank – 65
How will Josh Jacobs fit in with the Green Bay Packers?
The last time the Green Bay Packers had a workhorse running back who played for Alabama, Eddie Lacy, he set the Packer rookie records for most rushing yards and touchdowns in a season and won the 2013 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Let’s hope that trend continues as Jacobs takes over in Green Bay.
The scheme should suit Jacobs well. Over the past four seasons, Green Bay has primarily run a zone concept scheme. Lafluer has called a zone run play 66 percent of the time since the 2020 season. As a Raider, Jacobs ran zone concept plays 57 percent of the time.
Did the Green Bay Packers sign the best running backing in the NFL? It’s a subjective argument, but when you look at what Jacobs has had to work as a Raider, it seems he massively overachieved. In his short career, he has never played with an offensive line that graded higher than 65, according to PFF. He has also played with only two linemen who made First-Team All-Pro or the Pro Bowl. He has also played for four different head coaches. One of those coaches was Rich Bisaccia, the Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.
Now that Jacobs has a functional organization with a top head coach and offensive scheme, the sky’s the limit for Josh Jacobs and the Green Bay Packers.
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