Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was one of the key free agent signings for this franchise during the offseason. When the move happened, it was a major surprise. A lot of people thought that when Jacobs was signed, he and Aaron Jones were going to split carries, but Jones was released on the same day.
Jacobs will be the starting running for the Green Bay Packers this season. He has spent his entire NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders. Josh Jacobs will have a much better opportunity to win a Super Bowl in Green Bay than he did with Las Vegas.
The Raiders could be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. They have an unclear quarterback situation compared to the Packers.
Josh Jacobs Of the Green Bay Packers Is Only Ranked 9th On CBS Sports Top 20 Running Backs List Entering the 2024 Season
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports created a Top 20 running backs list entering the 2024 NFL season. He has Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs only ranked ninth on the list. Podell said about his ranking:
“Josh Jacobs entered 2023 as the reigning NFL rushing champion after leading the league in in rushing yards (1,653), rushing first downs (93), tackles avoided (103) and Pro Football Focus grade among running backs (91.9) in 2022.
However, holding out for a long-term deal that never surfaced with the Raiders led him to total 805 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 233 carries, a 3.5 yards-per-carry average that was the lowest of his entire career, after playing in only 13 games.
The 2024 season should be different after he signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers, a team whose quarterback situation (Jordan Love, who threw 32 touchdown passes in 2023, the second most in the NFL) is vastly superior to the Raiders’ 2023 situation (a rotation of Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and rookie Aidan O’Connell). Aaron Jones, Jacobs’ predecessor, routinely ranked near the top of the league in yards per carry during his Packers career, and since Jacobs just turned 26, he should have plenty left in the tank.”
Green Bay got younger at the running back position. They were already one of the youngest teams in the NFL a season ago. Aaron Jones is 29 and will be 30 on December 2. Jones was dealing with injuries last season and for as good as he was on the field. Josh Jacobs is miles better than him.
Three players who were surprisingly ranked ahead of Jacobs were Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions (8th), Breece Hall of the New York Jets (6th), and Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts (4th).
Former Green Bay Packers Running Back Aaron Jones Ranked 10th On the List
Aaron Jones was ranked 10th on this list. It is a little puzzling that he would only be one behind Josh Jacobs in the rankings. Some of the reasons that Podell gave him this ranking were as follows:
“Among the 51 running backs with 400 carries since 2019, the year Matt LaFleur became the Packers head coach, Jones’ 4.9 yards per carry ranks as the fourth best in the entire NFL. The problem is he turns 30 in December, and he played a career-low 11 games in 2023 because of various lower body injuries. If Jones can remain healthy, he can hold down a top 10 spot on this list.”
Aaron Jones did rush for 100 or more yards in the final five games of the 2024 season for the Green Bay Packers. Even with the explosiveness he showed late last season, they felt like they needed to upgrade at running back with Josh Jacobs and hopefully, it pays off for them.
