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Can Jacobs be even better in his second year in Green Bay?
In a year of boom or bust offense for the Packers, Josh Jacobs was a consistent force throughout 2024. Though he may not have achieved the insane heights of Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry last season, he consistently ground out the hard yards that kept the Packers’ offense thrumming along, especially when the Packers needed him most.
Jacobs’ 32-carry, 151-yard performance in Week 2 — supporting new-in-town Malik Willis with Jordan Love on the shelf with a knee injury — should go down in Packers lore as one of the great games in team history, goalline fumble notwithstanding. He really was just about all the Packers could have asked for in a free agent running back signing.
But of course, in the “what have you done for me lately” NFL, we have to talk about what Jacobs does as a follow up. Last year was great, but what will he do this year?
It’s impossible to say, but hopefully he’ll have a bit more help. The Packers’ offensive line was great in pass protection last year, but struggled to open holes for Jacobs. And the passing game, weighed down by a terribly inconsistent wide receiver room, hardly provided the support the running game would need.
In theory, both of those problems could be solved by the Packers’ offseason additions this year. The Packers added the massive Aaron Banks in free agency and the equally massive Anthony Belton in the draft, switching Elgton Jenkins to center in the interim. Between those moves and improvement from players carrying over from 2024, the line should be in better position to provide support to Jacobs, and we’ve all talked endlessly about the wide receiver additions.
So the question might actually be this: can Jacobs be better in his second year in Green Bay than he was in year one? Signs seem to indicate it’s at least possible.
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