Josh Jacobs will not play in the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener Thursday night, and coach Matt LaFleur isn’t putting a firm date on his return. LaFleur said Tuesday that the veteran running back will be sidelined “at least” through this week as he continues to recover from a groin injury.
“He’s gonna be out for at least this week,” LaFleur told reporters, according to Packers beat writer Weston Hodkiewicz.
Jacobs hasn’t practiced since August 6, when he first came up with the groin issue. He was on the field in some capacity Tuesday, working in a side rehab group rather than with the full team, a sign the Packers are managing him carefully rather than shutting him down completely.
Packers Not Alarmed by Injury, But Timeline Stays Vague
The injury itself doesn’t appear to be serious. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman has reported the Packers don’t view it as anything concerning, and multiple outlets, including Heavy.com, have echoed that it’s not expected to threaten his availability for Week 1. Still, LaFleur has stopped short of giving a return date, and the Packers have made clear they won’t rush their lead back.
Green Bay opens the preseason Thursday at Acrisure Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET. Jordan Love is expected to play, giving the coaching staff a chance to evaluate the offense even without its top rusher on the field.
Legal Situation Still Unresolved
Jacobs’ status carries extra weight this summer because of an ongoing legal matter. He was arrested on May 26 in Brown County, Wisconsin, on charges connected to a domestic disturbance, including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and related counts, following a police response to a disturbance complaint on May 23. He was released the next day after the Brown County District Attorney’s Office said it was not prepared to make a formal charging decision. Jacobs, through his attorneys, has said he “vehemently denies the allegations.”
As of late July, that investigation remained open. Jacobs has continued practicing with the Packers throughout the process and has not missed any team activity because of it.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added a new layer to the situation on his podcast Tuesday, saying the NFL is still weighing possible discipline under its personal conduct policy regardless of how the Brown County case is resolved. “It’s also possible that your team, the Green Bay Packers, are going to lose Josh Jacobs,” Schefter said, per Heavy.com’s report on the podcast. “That also is still under review and still a pending situation with the NFL.” Schefter said clarity on several such cases league-wide is expected by the start of the regular season, if not sooner. No charges had been filed and no discipline had been announced as of this writing.
Who Fills In While Jacobs Is Out
With Jacobs sidelined, MarShawn Lloyd steps into first-team reps Thursday. LaFleur has pointed to Lloyd as one of the more encouraging stories of camp, though the 2024 third-round pick has played in just one career regular-season game because of hamstring and ankle injuries. Behind him, Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. round out a running back room that doesn’t have much proven depth if Jacobs’ absence stretches beyond this week.
| Running Back | 2025 Rush Yards | 2025 TDs | Career NFL Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Jacobs | 929 | 13 (rush) | 105 |
| MarShawn Lloyd | — | — | 1 |
| Chris Brooks | — | — | — |
Jacobs is entering his third season in Green Bay after rushing for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last year, adding 36 catches for 282 yards and a receiving score. He battled through injuries late in that campaign, including a knee issue in December that briefly threatened to end his season. A three-time Pro Bowler and the NFL’s rushing leader in 2022, he remains the clear focal point of Green Bay’s ground game when healthy.
The Packers continue their preseason slate at Denver on August 21 before hosting Arizona on August 28. That gives Jacobs roughly three weeks to get right before Green Bay opens the regular season at home against Minnesota on September 13.
