Was Green Bay Wise To Pass On A New Running Back?

Green Bay Packers Was Green Bay Wise To Pass On A New Running Back? Photo Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images By Mitch Widmeier - November 12, 2026 It made all the sense in the world for Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekusnt to sniff around the trade market for a running back. More than halfway through the season, the Packers are dead last in rushing yards per game at 68.2. As the trade deadline came and went, though, Gutekunst stood pat. Was that the wise decision given how ineffective the ground game has been? There were some heavy hitters potentially available during the run up to the deadline. Names like Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry were tossed around. Even though the Packers didn’t land either, neither did anyone else. It’s worth mentioning the star power because it was super unlikely the Packers were going to bring in an average running back and all of a sudden start to see different results. The problem with the rushing attack for Matt LaFleur’s squad is that it isn’t just a backfield problem. It starts up front with the offensive line. Per ESPN , through nine weeks the Packers rank 32nd in pass-block win rate and 16th in run-block win rate. It almost feels stunning that they rank that high in run-block win rate because the eye test would suggest they should be in the bottom third of the league in that category, which they were early in the season. It was MarShawn Lloyd , Kaleb Johnson , Pierre Strong Jr., and a little of Chris Brooks (before he ended up on injured reserve) trying to conjure up any sort of success running the ball early in the year. The results were putrid. In a sense, getting Josh Jacobs back after he spent the first six games of the year on the Commissioner’s Exempt List had similar results to a new acquisition. The top running back for Green Bay the past two years was finally back in the mix and expected to turn the tide. That didn’t happen, and now Jacobs is set to miss a few weeks with a fractured finger. Now the Packers are set to roll ahead with Johnson, Strong, Lloyd (when he returns after missing Week 9), and potentially Brooks as early as this Sunday. A big move for superstar reinforcements was unlikely for two reasons. The Packers took their big swing last offseason, trading for Micah Parsons and parting with two first-round picks and Kenny Clark in the process. Every report indicated that the Indianapolis Colts wouldn’t be satisfied with just a second-round pick for Taylor, upping the ante on what sort of draft capital it would take to get a deal done. Gutekunst, who has long adored the process of stockpiling draft picks, ventured outside his comfort zone with the Parsons trade. Expecting him to part with another future first-rounder for Taylor was unrealistic, as good as Taylor is. The second reason is the whole “as good as Taylor is” part. Taylor is still has some shelf life at age 27, even in perhaps the NFL’s most youth-centric position. He’s been pretty durable throughout his career and led the league in rushing attempts and rushing touchdowns last year. The problem is that we see how drastically Jacobs’ numbers have dipped this year compared to his first two seasons in Green Bay, which further suggests the main source of the problems is the offensive line. Surely Taylor, one of the best running backs in the league, would have more success than the second- and third-stringers who have filled in at running back during Jacobs’ absence. But how much better is the big question. The wiser move would’ve been for Gutekunst to bring in another starting offensive lineman and rolled with this group at running back, but those deals are tough to get done at the deadline. Instead, they’re rolling with this group at running back and didn’t add an offensive lineman either. However, there may be a new name in the mix this Sunday. Veteran Kevin Zeitler , who was the most notable of the offensive linemen the Packers brought in earlier in the season, has inexplicably not gotten the nod at right guard yet. With Aaron Banks dealing with multiple injuries after last week’s game against the New England Patriots, it’s very possible that Laken Tomlinson slides back over to left guard against the Minnesota Vikings while Zeitler is plugged in at right guard. We saw that combination at the guard spots briefly against the Patriots. If Zeitler delivers, it could make a big difference in a struggling group. Gutekunst made the right decision at the deadline. For the rest of this year, the Packers will have to roll with this ground game and hope that the right arm of Jordan Love can take them into the postseason. Mitch Widmeier Mitch Widmeier covers the Green Bay Packers for Zone Coverage. Mitch comes over from FanDuel Sports Network where he was in the content department. Follow his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Mitch_I_Am and at @m_widmeier on Twitter. All Articles