Maybe no true bell cow, but our RB ends up with the ball, via run or pass, about half the time.

He may have been a workhorse in the past, but I don't think MLF will continue it. Other than having an unfortunate QB injury, there's no reason to wear him into the ground with so many other offensive weapons at our disposal. We probably don't need to manage him as carefully as Jones, but we also want to keep him injury-free and fresh for the playoffs.

Being a workhorse and getting lots of carries means he needs to be healthy. Let's hope his early hammy trouble is short lived... GPG

Derrick Henry has the most carries in a season in the last 10 years at 378, 23 a game in a 16 game season. No back in the NFL is averaging 25-30 carries a game. I'd be surprised if Jacobs cracked 25 carries more than once. For what he's getting paid I think 15-16 carries should be expected, or 255 to 272 on the season. Aaron Jones' heaviest workload was 236 carries so Jacobs should be able to handle that.

Jacobs also had 53 receptions the year he had 340 catches so total touches needs to be taken into account as far as wear and tear. I'd rather see him have 255 carries at 5 yards a pop than 300 at 3.5 yards a carry, which is what he had last year. I think LaFleur will have a plan that, of healthy, puts him around 300-315 touches this year.

It's funny because I was just looking up total touches in a season and once again felt sorry for James Wilder. He had seasons of 492 and 418 touches back to back and was pretty much done after that. LT said he was one of the RBs of that time that it hurt to tackle them but he was running behind a crappy line on a crappy team.

LaDainian Tomlinson was really a remarkable RB. Only 5 RBs in the SB era have had 400 touches in three seasons or more. Tomlinson did it three times and also had three more seasons of 390+ touches. He's a top 5 RB in my book. Efficient, durable and a nose for the end zone.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/touches_single_season.htm

Going to miss AJ but Jacobs is GREAT RB and should fill the void. Looking at his contract he may me a workhorse year 1, but I expect RB by committee after that, if not this year, and I doubt he will finish the 4 year term. Sad but true for RB in the NFL now days, they already drafted his replacement, ML.

Running backs need touches to get rhythm, but also need rest so as not to get the blues.
It seems load management has been coming into the NFL, at least at certain positions, of late -- and I look for it to continue as more commonplace.
It's such a long season of 17 games of wear and tear and significant wounds, plus we want guys fresh for the playoffs.
Perhaps in some games a guy is on a roll and gets a heavy workload, in other games is less emphasized.
That's where good coaching comes in to make those tough calls as to when to push a guy, and when to pull him back for his own good, as well as that of the team.
Meanwhile, this would mean that roster depth is becoming increasingly important in today's NFL.

Jacobs won't have Paul Hornung blocking for him, and Jim Taylor wouldn't have had the career he did without Hornung. I know. I know. Team sport. They all loved each other. 40 for 60. Still, Hornung jacking dudes up made Taylor.

Now, this whole bell cow workhouse thing will get ya a nickel and a cup of soup on a good day. It's been a while since the Packers have had a grinder and a toiler as well. It's been even longer since they've had a drudger. A bell cow leads, right? And, a workhorse is reliable and dependable, yes? A bell cow and a workhorse have distinct metaphorical meanings, though both refer to important roles. That's all fine.

What we most need to determine right now is if the Packers are reloading or rebuilding. We also need some info on who extinguished the dumpster fire at 1265, but that can wait a few weeks. We could all benefit from conversation around how the NFL plans to take our dignity. I'd like a listicle of 15 greatest Packers nicknames, too.

I don't expect AJ. But I do expect Williams.

I agree with most others here that there is no need for Jacobs to get a ton of carries. However, it's nice to have that option if he gets hot in a game or the #2 RB gets injured.

I am intrigued that Marshawn Lloyd seems pretty similar to Jacobs. I like the idea of them being somewhat interchangeable, although it remains to be seen if Lloyd can be reliable enough for that to happen during his rookie season.

I’ve said too many times how thrilled I am that Jacobs is a Packer. I however, highly doubt he receives more than 220 carries. There are so many mouths to feed on the Packer O and and MLF will utilize everyone.
Go Packers!!!

Don‘t see a workhorse“ approach coming.
They will run in committee with 3 backs plus the WR‘s running the one or other outside route. It‘s ll about getting defenses on the wrong foot.
What might work better with the new backs is quick short passes in the flat and yac.
This is an element not working last year.

Jacobs is a very good receiver. Lloyd can catch the ball. So can AJD.

ML always says the Illusion of Complexity Offense requires balance for run and pass. I always considered that close to a 50/50 ratio.

I have a feeling that 50/50 ratio may not, with this RB room, reflect carries vs pass. It will likely reflect "touches" of RBs vs WRs/TEs with the RBs being targeted for some very creative pass plays. And it can be a very prolific RB attack run and pass.

But where Jones carried the ball an average 10-15/game during his tenure. Jacobs will probably be 15-25 (depending on the opponent vs the pitch count Jones seemed to be on). Lloyd and AJD splitting the 10-15 Jones had.

Firming the sixties they only played 12 games

I fine with using Jacobs as a bell cow as long as we see at least 4 yards or more and a cloud of dust. In today's NFL 3.5 yards per carry simply doesn't get the job done when you are forking out around 12 million bucks for a running back. On the bright side, I do think Jacobs will be spectacular in our offense.

I agree with everything said but surprised to see there was no mention of Marshon Lloyd. We have undoubtedly the best trio of RBs in the league. Lloyd could possibly be our most dynamic and explosive RB of the three. I hope they find a way to get him involved every game. He is too good to sit on the bench.We have a three headed rushing machine and just need to learn how to use it to reach it's full potential. Our offense will be unstoppable!