Losing Josh Jacobs was always going to sting a little bit. As one of the best Raiders players during a forgettably-bland era of Raiders football, Jacobs was well on his way to becoming a franchise legend. And while he still may end up remembered as one, leaving Las Vegas to go play for the Packers was a tough pill to swallow this offseason.
And now, after the latest Packers injury news, it may be even worse: it looks like Jacobs may have a career year in front of him. On Tuesday afternoon, the Packers announced that starting running back AJ Dillon was going on IR with a neck injury and will miss the entire season. It's the worst case scenario in Green Bay, but as far as disastrous personnel outcomes go, the Raiders may be in a close second.
Packers RB AJ Dillon (neck) placed on IR and will miss the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/DgJfk99WhX
— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2024
Josh Jacobs is now RB1 in Green Bay, and the Raiders don't really have an answer
Now, instead of splitting carries with Dillon, Jacobs is the undisputed RB1 on the Packers' roster. He'll be surrounded by a franchise quaterback, a decent offensive line, and tons of playmakers that will help keep opposing defenses light up front. Outside of the whole "play in arctic conditions for 95% of the year" wrinkle, Jacobs is set up to succeed about as much as any running back in football.
Meanwhile, the Raiders' running back depth chart looks like they're destined for the dreaded "by committee" approach. Maybe Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Dylan Laube surprise everyone and reinvent how the league looks at the position, but also maybe none of that happens at all. Not paying running backs huge amounts of money is probably still the smart team-building decision, but this is the danger of not valuing your best players because of league-wide spending trends – sometimes you end up looking cheap and dumb. But surely a Gardner Minshew-led passing offense will make up for it.