Cory's Corner: Top Five Back? Please.
Josh Jacobs is more than just numbers on a page. He's the heartbeat for this offense.
I can’t believe this is even a discussion
I’ve seen and heard this question a few times: Is Josh Jacobs a top five running back?
Heck yes he is!
And it’s not because he was fourth in rushing touchdowns (15) and sixth in rushing yards (1,329) this past season.
“We felt like he was the best back in the draft and he’s shown why,” said former Raiders coach Jon Gruden. “He’s a complete player — runs hard, catches the ball, blocks — he does it all.”
Jacobs played five games for the lowly Raiders and averaged 1,119 yards a season. In his fourth season, he amassed over 90 missed tackles and won the league rushing crown with 1,653 yards.
But that’s not why Jacobs is a top five back. It has nothing to do with numbers, it’s a mindset.
“I never wanted to be that guy that joins the dominant team,” Jacobs said when he arrived in Green Bay in 2024. “I want to be the guy that BEATS the dominant team.”
Here was a guy that succeeded in the NFL slums with the Raiders and when he moved on to a better place, he could’ve easily just taken his money and been fine with that.
But he wasn’t.
“Just to be able to come out and actually show that I can catch the ball more,” said Jacobs. “Not just that but trusting me enough to be able to pick up protections. It's just so special when you got a guy like Jordan Love back there, and you can't really just load the box every play, and you make defenses decide what they want to stop.”
Jacobs is a top five back because he has never stopped. He is 27 now and he understands how important winning matters to what people think of him down the road. At the end of the day, nobody is going to care how many yards per carry he racked up in 2022 or how many balls he caught in 2024. They will want to know how many times he was in the playoffs and how many championships he won.
“I can honestly say that I’m getting older and I’m playing longer, I have a real goal of legacy. I think that's a big thing – wanting to play in important games, play in the playoffs, make a deep run and, you know, play in that game if we get there. That's big for me. I think that's the most important thing.”
Jacobs’ worth is more than simple numbers on a page. He just got to Green Bay last year and he’s acting like he’s a sixth generation cheesemaker. He understands how important this time is right now and more importantly, he knows that in order to win it all and cement that legacy, he has to do whatever it takes to bring the Lombardi Trophy back home.
And that’s why he’s a top five running back in this league. And it ain’t close.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (30)
T7Steve
March 25, 2025 at 06:46 am
Excellent mindset to bring into the Lockeroom. It has to rub off on the younger guys and reaffirm the mindset of the older guys.
Go Pack Go!
Cheezehead72
March 25, 2025 at 06:55 am
The one position I do not see the Packers drafting is RB. Our RB room is full.
BuckyBadger
March 25, 2025 at 07:04 am
Full? I wouldn't say that. Jacobs isn't a spring chicken and when RBs go start to age they do it very quickly. After Jacobs there is room for improvement. I don't think we will see a RB in the 1st four rounds but I believe a team should always keep a young guy in the wings. RBs can be different players year to year and Jacobs has a lot of wear on those tires.
Cheezehead72
March 25, 2025 at 07:16 am
It is full at the moment. I see us picking up one or two UDFAs but not drafting one. Now I will admit if the right guy falls into their lap they will draft him but I do not see that happening. But I could be wrong.
Coldworld
March 25, 2025 at 08:46 am
We had 2 back up RBs, Wilson and Brooks who performed excellently by any metric out there. We also have a 3rd round pick from last year, Lloyd back as essentially an extra pick this year. That’s pretty good competition for a start and only 3 may make the roster.
I too see no reason whatsoever to spend a pick on a RB this year. We have other needs that are greater. Both Wilson and Brooks were UDFAs (although Brooks was picked up by the Dolphins for a year before an injury settlement the next summer). I’d expect camp depth to come from there with a view to a PS berth potentially.
BuckyBadger
March 25, 2025 at 07:05 am
“I never wanted to be that guy that joins the dominant team,”
Sorry but is that why you went to Bama? Just poking fun.
murf7777
March 25, 2025 at 07:53 am
Great article Cory……many times we get too tied up with stats and don’t recognize how important the best in the locker room are to a team.
crayzpackfan
March 25, 2025 at 08:13 am
He made our offensive line look better than it really was.
T7Steve
March 25, 2025 at 08:30 am
Agree! Think how many yards he would have if he wasn't getting hit a couple time in the first 3 yards.
Coldworld
March 25, 2025 at 08:50 am
The FO would appear to believe the same as you given the signing of Banks.
Leatherhead
March 25, 2025 at 09:25 am
Or maybe we signed Banks because we were losing a starter.
LambeauPlain
March 25, 2025 at 09:55 am
Both seem likely to be true. The "pro bowl" center (LOL!) was viewed as such a good starter by the NFL he received near the vet minimum on a one year "prove it" deal (as OL salaries were exploding this year) with the dysfunctional Woody and the Jets.
I think many Packer fans were on par with the NFL about Myers' being the weak link on the OL even as the Packer coaches continually awarded him the job with little competition.
But Gutey told the coaching staff he was not offering a 2nd K to Myers and with the acquisition of Banks very likely improve two positions.
Leatherhead
March 25, 2025 at 09:22 am
So did E. Wilson. So did Love. So clearly our skill position players made our offensive line look better than it really was.
OR
The offensive line was better than a lot of critics think.
crayzpackfan
March 25, 2025 at 09:40 am
Nope. It was our backs.
Leatherhead
March 25, 2025 at 09:46 am
And the year before Jacobs got here.....it was Dillon and Jones making the line look better. This is a perfect piece of circular reasoning, but if you believe in Occams Razor, the simplest explanation (the line is better than you give it credit for) is usually the correct one.
crayzpackfan
March 25, 2025 at 10:32 am
I never said our line sucked. They were good last year. I just think Jacobs mostly, but others too, made it look better. They covered up some of their warts. We can just agree to disagree.
LambeauPlain
March 25, 2025 at 11:01 am
Jacobs is one of, perhaps the best Packer RB I have watched getting yards on his own. Just amazing strength, vision and balance to go with his quickness and speed.
Tremendous acquisition.
Leatherhead
March 25, 2025 at 11:33 am
I just believe that nothing good happens on offense without blocking, and therefore, if good things are happening on offense, you're getting blocking. I understand a good back makes his line look better, but this isn't just a good back; this is his backup, and the QB, too. So essentially the entire backfield is making the line look better than they are.
OR....the line is better than people want to give it credit for.
crayzpackfan
March 25, 2025 at 04:29 pm
I guess You can ask Barry Sanders how fun it was to be an all time great with an absolutely awful OL for 10 years while Emit Smith was breaking the all time record behind the very best line money could buy. Point being, great runners can make an average line look way better.
Leatherhead
March 26, 2025 at 12:22 pm
Yes, a HOF RB makes everybody look better. If you're Emmanuel Wilson, or Jordan Love, you need blocking.
Nothing good happens on offense without blocking. You can chisel that in stone. And if good things are happening, people are getting blocked. Even Barry Sanders had a Pro Bowler on the line most seasons.. In 95, he had two.
beerandbrats
March 25, 2025 at 08:46 am
I love his attitude because "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing!"
NFLfan
March 25, 2025 at 08:52 am
Why should he have to fill the leadership void by trying to recruit M. Crosby by himself or take the risk of telling the truth about a lack of a true WR#1? It's because he is carrying too much. Kraft is the other guy with too much on his plate in terms of carrying this team.
Where is Love's voice? Gary? MLF?
T7Steve
March 25, 2025 at 09:11 am
Every leader leads in his own way. They have to lead like they would want to be lead and everyone is different. There's no right or wrong way just be glad when someone wants to take on that burden for their team/teammates.
GregC
March 25, 2025 at 09:25 am
You want more of our players to make public statements about what they think the front office should be doing? Not me. I didn't even like when Jacobs did it.
LambeauPlain
March 25, 2025 at 10:03 am
Gruden: “He’s a complete player — runs hard, catches the ball, blocks — he does it all.”
While Watson heals, hopefully his catch targets, and more go Jacobs (and Lloyd, Wilson & Brooks) and Kraft in a revised scheme...please.
Since'61
March 25, 2025 at 11:20 am
I don't know or care where Jacobs ranks in the league as an RB. I do know that he is the best RB and offensive player on the Packers right now. And yes he is one of the league's top RBs. I don't know if that means he is #1 or top 5 or top 10. As long as he can continue to play as he did for the Packers in 2024 he will be among the best RBs in the league. Thanks, Since '61
Leatherhead
March 25, 2025 at 11:34 am
I'd put him up there with Ahman Green or John Brockington. Levens had one comparable year. It'll be interesting to see if he can do it again.
Since'61
March 25, 2025 at 02:54 pm
I agree LH, although I think that he is closer to Ahman Green than Brockington. I definitely believe that Jacobs can do it again especially if the Packers interior OL improves over last season. Also with Watson out for probably at least 10 games and Doubs future doubtful MLF should plan on increasing Jacobs role in the passing game.
Thanks, Since '61
Leatherhead
March 26, 2025 at 11:52 am
Thanks. I agree he's more like Green than Brockington stylistically. Brockington had four great years but never managed over 1272 total yards in a 14 game season, In 1972, he went to the Pro Bowl with a 3.7 yards/rush average.
Green was the best back the Packers have had since the Merger. He had five years where he got 299-405 touches, he had an 1800 yard rushing season, he had season where he caught 73 passes. He was not going to get caught from behind.
I don't know what MLF should do to score more points in these elimination games, other than keep the ball in the hands of people who can score points, don't turn it over, and don't drop it. That certainly describes Jacobs. We did throw it to him enough for him to have 36 receptions last year....more than Watson.
Me, personally, I'm not a fan of dink-and-dunk, and if I'm going to throw, I want to hurt them downfield. A screen pass, a safety valve dumpoff, a couple of those a game are fine, but that's not the same as attacking the back of the defense
PhantomII
March 25, 2025 at 09:24 pm
I don't mind running out all 3 RB's when the WR's are dropping balls....RB's have good moves, make people miss, they're physical, have good hands....Hell let's turn this on it's head and draft 3 RB's and make them WR's....and I'm not even joking. This is also a deep TE group so if no worthy WR then RB/ TE or two for the offense. That's not gonna happen, so move up for a WR better than ANY we have now. This is not a great WR draft so that's what we need to do since we didn't draft a really good one last season...when we had our pick of the litter of several really good ones.