The Green Bay Packers are making a slight change to their running back room for Week 15’s game with the Denver Broncos after unexpectedly adding another one of their tailbacks to the injury report roughly 24 hours before kickoff.
The Packers officially elevated running back Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad to their game-day roster on Saturday, December 13. While it was their only roster move of the day, it coincided with them adding Emanuel Wilson (illness) to the injury report.
Wilson is now questionable to play against the Broncos due to his illness. The Packers have also listed starter Josh Jacobs as questionable with a lingering knee injury, putting them in a position where Chris Brooks was their only healthy back on the active roster.
With Strong elevated, the Packers will have at least two healthy backs on hand against the Broncos if they cannot clear Jacobs or Wilson before kickoff on Sunday afternoon.
The Packers (9-3-1) will take on the Broncos (11-2) at 4:25 p.m. ET on December 14.
Josh Jacobs Has Battled Knee Swelling for Weeks Now
Jacobs’ knee injury is not a new issue for the Packers. He suffered a contusion to his left knee in Week 11’s win over the New York Giants and has been dealing with stiffness and swelling ever since, to the point that it kept him on the sideline for Week 12’s matchup.
Whether it will stop Jacobs from playing against the Broncos is unclear, though.
While the Packers listing Jacobs as questionable leaves the door open for him to sit out against the Broncos, they have listed him the same way in each of the last three games. Jacobs wound up playing in the most recent two, taking at least 17 carries and rushing for more than 80 yards in each one — and scoring a touchdown against the Bears.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur also said that Jacobs’ knee was feeling “pretty good” heading into December 12’s final practice, an encouraging sign for his availability.
One thing LaFleur also made clear: The Packers are not considering resting Jacobs against the Broncos to preserve him for their final three-game stretch of the regular season, which will include divisional matchups against Chicago and Minnesota.
“I think right now, where we’re at, we’re not looking any further than the game in front of our face, and that’s where we’ll continue to keep the focus, on this game,” he said.
Will Packers Add More RB Help Down Stretch of 2025?
The Packers may have solidified their running back options for Week 15’s game against the Broncos, but could they add another back to the mix for the home stretch of 2025?
Jacobs could still play against the Broncos on Sunday, but his knee will remain a weekly concern for the Packers until the swelling and stiffness are completely gone. They have a quality No. 2 option in Wilson, but they have also been hoping that 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd would return at some point — which now seems in jeopardy.
Lloyd has spent the entire season on injured reserve up to this point with a calf injury that he suffered in the team’s second preseason game in August, but he is in the midst of his 21-day activation window and just finished up his second week back at practice.
Unfortunately, Lloyd picked up a new hamstring injury on the injury report this week that held him out of December 12’s final practice for the Broncos. If the combination of injuries sets him back at all, it may prevent the Packers from activating him before the December 21 deadline, which would end Lloyd’s 2025 season without a snap played.
It would also give the Packers another reason to scoop out potential running back help, even if they are only looking for a capable veteran to bolster their practice squad.
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