The Green Bay Packers appear comfortable with their running back depth even if starter Josh Jacobs faces a potential NFL suspension. General manager Brian Gutekunst addressed the situation Wednesday when speaking to reporters, offering a confident assessment of the team’s backup options and contingency plans at the position.

Jacobs was arrested in May on domestic abuse charges. He was released by police, but it remains possible that Jacobs could face a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy at some point during the season.

That possibility does not appear to be changing the Packers’ approach to the running back position. Gutekunst expressed confidence in the depth Green Bay has assembled behind Jacobs, even though the GM didn’t say anything in regards to being expecting a suspension.

“I’m pretty confident we can sustain it,” Gutekunst said. “That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t do that, but yeah, we’ll deal with that when that comes. But we’ve obviously been prepared for that in case that happens. At the same time, I feel really good about the guys we got in that room, and I think we can survive that and kill it.”

Depth behind Jacobs

The Packers have several options at running back if Jacobs misses time. Former third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd has served as the primary backup and is finally healthy after missing essentially the entirety of his first two NFL seasons.

Chris Brooks fills a third-down specialist role, excelling in blitz pickup and pass protection rather than as a pure runner. Pierre Strong Jr. has also generated positive buzz throughout preseason and training camp, positioning himself as part of the contingency plan.

Green Bay also has Damian Martinez and undrafted rookie Jaden Nixon on the roster at the position.

Practice squad elevation strategy

One particularly notable element of the Packers’ approach involves potentially keeping one fewer running back than ideal on the 53-man roster and using practice squad elevations on game day. Gutekunst left the door open for that strategy when discussing how the team would handle a possible Jacobs absence.

“Again, we’ll deal with that if that transpires,” Gutekunst added. “You’re usually going to keep three or four running backs. And I think we have enough to do that. But again, it comes down to choices and trying to figure that out. And the one thing particularly at that position is elevating a guy from the practice squad. I don’t want to say it’s easy to do, but it’s something we’ve done in the past and not something that we’d shy away from.”

If Jacobs is suspended, he would lose $560,000 per game based on his base salary. That amount would be credited back to the Packers’ salary cap.

It remains unclear whether the NFL will suspend Jacobs at any point during the 2026 season. The Packers, however, seem prepared for that scenario and comfortable with what they have behind Jacobs on the running back depth chart.