Josh Jacobs is still not practicing, still not playing, and still without a clear path back to the Green Bay Packers' lineup. The two-time Pro Bowl running back has now missed four straight games while parked on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List, and the NFL season keeps moving forward without him in the backfield.
Why Jacobs is out has little to do with his body and everything to do with a legal case that began months ago. The uncertainty has forced Green Bay to get creative at running back just as the offense searches for an identity heading into a pivotal NFC North stretch.
Where Things Stand With Jacobs
Jacobs has now missed all four games while remaining on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, with no immediate return date in sight. The designation means he is away from the team facility for football activities but still drawing a paycheck while the league office reviews his case.
It's a steep fall from where Jacobs stood entering the offseason. He entered the offseason expecting to be a crucial part of Green Bay's plans after rushing for 1,329 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Instead, he has watched from the sideline as backs well down the depth chart try to keep the ground game afloat.
A Legal Saga That Won't Go Away
What Led to the Exempt List
Jacobs was placed on the commissioner exempt list in September, a move that came three days after he was formally charged with two misdemeanors stemming from an alleged incident with a woman in May. The case has since been resolved in court, though not in Jacobs' favor on the charges themselves: it ended with a no contest plea to two misdemeanor charges — one each of battery and criminal damage to property.
What a Suspension Would Look Like
Despite the plea, Jacobs will face no jail time, though he is likely to receive a punishment from the league in the form of a suspension. How long he's already been out could end up working in his favor if that ruling comes down. If the NFL does suspend Jacobs, the games he has already missed will count as time served, though the running back will have to return all of the compensation from his 2026 game checks to this point as part of the punishment.
Green Bay, for its part, has made clear it isn't planning to move on from its lead back. Head coach Matt LaFleur said after the preseason finale that “I fully anticipate him being a member of our football team,” while acknowledging the organization simply has to let the process play out.
Green Bay's Patchwork Backfield
With Jacobs sidelined, the Packers haven't sat still. Green Bay added running back insurance with Jacobs' future uncertain, acquiring Kaleb Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers' third-round pick in 2025, in a trade. It was an early sign the front office didn't expect a quick resolution.
The moves haven't stopped there. Green Bay initially added running back Damon Bankston to its practice squad in September, released him weeks later, and then brought him back this week after just one week away. It's the kind of roster churn that signals a team still searching for answers in the run game.
Those answers haven't come easily. Through four games, Green Bay has had the worst run game in the NFL without its top back available, a stark contrast to the production Jacobs provided a season ago. The staff has leaned on a rotation that has included Kaleb Johnson, Emmanuel Wilson and practice-squad depth to try to keep the ground attack respectable.
What Comes Next for Green Bay
The Packers don't have the luxury of waiting around. Every week without Jacobs is a week the offense has to find a different way to move the ball, and the schedule doesn't get any easier against familiar NFC North competition. Green Bay opened its season against the NFC North rival Vikings and now turns toward another divisional test against the Bears.
Jacobs' history traces back to his days anchoring the former Raiders backfield before he signed in Green Bay, and the Packers built their offensive identity around his downhill running style. Until the league rules on his status, that identity remains on hold, and Green Bay will keep managing its backfield one roster move at a time.
For now, the only certainty is uncertainty: no suspension announcement, no practice return, and no firm word on when — or if — Jacobs steps back onto the field in 2026.