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Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs played through an illness last weekend, stating that he threw up before and during the team’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Throughout the week, he was on the Packers’ injury report with an illness designation, but added a calf designation on Friday. This didn’t appear to be a major issue, as Jacobs was a full participant for Friday’s practice after just being limited on Wednesday and Thursday, but new information has Jacobs’ status going into Week 7 on shaky ground.
First of all, the Packers called up practice squad running back Pierre Strong Jr. to the gameday roster for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. This gives the team four potential running backs to choose from for their 48-man roster, an odd move, considering that Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson have played virtually every snap for the offense over the last three weeks.
Secondly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now reporting that Jacobs is “a true game-time decision” for the Packers. At this point, it’s unknown whether the illness or the calf injury is the bigger reason for Jacobs’ status being uncertain.
On top of this, Green Bay’s players had their flight delayed by nearly six hours on Saturday, due to a mechanical issue. It’s possible that rehab and recovery plans for players who were on the edge of suiting up for this game were set back due to the delay.
If, for some reason, Jacobs doesn’t play against the Cardinals, former undrafted player Emanuel Wilson will make his first start in three years as a professional. In his NFL career, Wilson has carried the ball 135 times for 671 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He’s only cracked 55 rushing yards in a single game once: a 73-yard performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 18 of 2024. He’s only received double-digit carries in just three career games.
With Chris Brooks being more of a hybrid fullback and blocking back, the number two ball-carrier in this scenario would probably be Strong, fresh off his practice squad activation. Strong was signed by the Packers on September 8th, after spending the offseason with the Cleveland Browns.
The former fourth-round pick has 99 carries for 499 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in his NFL career. He started one game, in Week 18 of 2023, when he turned 14 carries into 65 yards for the Browns. Otherwise, he’s also only posted one other game where he cracked 50 rushing yards: A 2022 game against the Cardinals, where he ran five times for 70 yards and a score.
