Jacobs pleads no contest, and Green Bay's backfield answer is Emanuel Wilson

The plea is in. Josh Jacobs entered a no-contest plea, and with Week 1 approaching, the Packers now have to figure out how to run the football without the man who carried their backfield all of last season. Jacobs is listed out, and there is no grounded indication yet of when — or whether — he suits up for the opener.

What's left behind him is thin. Emanuel Wilson is the most credible name on the depth chart, and he showed last season he can handle a workload — 499 rushing yards and three touchdowns across 18 games. That's a useful player. It is not a feature back. Chris Brooks is active and available, but his role last year was supplemental. Beyond those two, the Packers are looking at names who logged no meaningful snaps in 2025.

I noted two weeks ago that the backfield depth was already a problem before the hearing even happened. The plea doesn't change the structural reality so much as it confirms it. Green Bay built its offense around Jacobs touching the ball and Jordan Love managing a clean game — 984 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns from one player is a lot of production to redistribute on short notice. My read is that Wilson gets the first crack, and the Packers lean heavier on Love's arm and Tucker Kraft's return to compensate. Whether that's enough to stay competitive early is the question the next few weeks will answer.