Good news for the Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs’ groin injury caused him to miss practice on Thursday. Two days later, he didn’t see any 11-on-11 action during the Green Bay Packers’ annual Family Night practice. While this could possibly bring about concern among Green Bay fans, a recent update sheds a positive light on the situation; Jacobs is expected to return to practice without limitations on Tuesday, per NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.
The running back also addressed his missed practice, saying that his groin injury was more of a “tweak” than an injury.
“I wouldn’t call it an injury. It’s not really an injury, it’s more so just tweaked it a little bit,” Jacobs said on Thursday, per Packers Wire’s Zach Cruse. “If we were to have a game today, I’d definitely be playing. Could have practiced today even.”
Josh Jacobs becomes the Packers’ new RB1
A returning Josh Jacobs is undoubtedly good news for the Packers. After all, he was signed by Green Bay in the offseason to become the new leader of the RB room.
When contract talks with Aaron Jones turned sour, the Packers’ front office decided to replace Jones with Jacobs. Of course, seeing Jones go was a sad (and shocking) sight for many, considering how he spent seven seasons with the team before being released. On top of that, Jones was a big reason why Green Bay made the playoffs last season.
Nevertheless, a replacement such as Josh Jacobs gives the Packers plenty to look forward to. He only played 13 games last season due to injury, but Jacobs still managed to run for 805 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, one has to look no further than two years ago to see what the former Las Vegas Raider is fully capable of. In 2022, Jacobs tallied a career-high 1,653 rushing yards while matching his career best of 12 touchdowns in a season. He also led the NFL with 97.2 rushing yards per game and was named First Team All-Pro, in addition to garnering his second Pro Bowl appearance.
Josh Jacobs over Aaron Jones?
Comparing Jacobs’ numbers to Jones’, it can even be deduced that the Packers upgraded at the RB spot. Jones also missed games last season because of an injury, so it would be best to look at both with a full season’s worth of games. Jones also had a stellar 2022, running for 1,121 yards and two touchdowns while catching passes for an additional five scores as well. Still, Jacobs’ 1,653 yards led the NFL that season, and his 97.2-yard per game average was much higher than his counterparts’ (Jones tallied 65.9 rushing yards per game).
Oh, and Jacobs is three years younger than Jones, which could’ve also been a reason for the Packers’ decision. At the age of 26, Josh Jacobs is expected to provide years of big games for the Packers, who are gunning for another playoff campaign this coming season.
