Packers Work Out Ex-Lions Running Back Amid Latest Injury News
· Yahoo Sports
The Green Bay Packers are eyeing a former Detroit Lions draft pick as a potential addition at running back following the latest injury news before training camp.
According to the NFL’s daily transaction wire for July 27, the Packers hosted former Lions seventh-round pick Jermar Jefferson for a roster tryout on Monday along with eight other players — including three more running backs who could also add depth.
Visit rouesnews.click for more information.
Jefferson spent his first four seasons on and off the Lions’ active roster, delivering his best numbers as a rookie in 2021 when he took 15 carries for 74 yards and two scores. He also appeared in two games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025 as a practice-squad callup, but he didn’t touch the ball on offense and played just six special-teams snaps.
The Packers also worked out running backs Marcus Major, Jalen White and Owen Wright. White had spent some of 2025’s camp with the Packers, but they waived him after an injury took him out of the competition for depth spots. Wright, however, is the only one among the three with an in-season carry — and he has just three for six yards.
Additionally, the Packers placed running back Chris Brooks on the active/non-football injury list on Monday in a series of moves, making it highly likely that he won’t be on the field for them when they hold their first practice of training camp next week.
Chris Brooks Fighting for No. 2 Role Entering 2026
The Packers have not disclosed any details about Brooks’ injury, making it difficult to speculate how quickly he will return to the practice field over the next month of camp.
Players on the PUP list are eligible to return to the field as soon as the team’s training staff medically clears them, so it is possible that he could be ready before the Packers hold their first training-camp practice on Wednesday, July 29. If the injury is a longer-term issue for Brooks, though, it could loosen his hold on the No. 2 running back role.
After proving capable as a pass-catcher and blocker out of the backfield over his first three seasons, Brooks signed a two-year, $4.85 million contract extension with the Packers in the offseason, putting him on a path to compete as Josh Jacobs’ backup.
Brooks could even potentially be in play as the team’s Week 1 starting running back, given that Jacobs is still embroiled in an ongoing domestic violence investigation. If the findings prompt the league or team to punish Jacobs, they will need a fill-in starter.
None of that can happen if Brooks is injured, though. And the longer that he stays on the NFI list, the more likely it is that MarShawn Lloyd — who is trying to bounce back after an injury-riddled first two seasons — overtakes him in the race for the No. 2 job.
Packers Also Worked Out 3 Tight Ends Amid Injuries
The Packers also hosted five non-running backs for tryouts on Monday, including a trio of tight ends who could help them fortify their roster while their top two guys are out.
Per the transaction wire, tight ends Thomas Yassmin, Josh Beetham and Drew Biber all worked out for spots on the Packers’ 90-man offseason roster. While the team did not sign any of them in Monday’s transactions, they may do so before July 29’s practice.
The Packers are currently without starting tight end Tucker Kraft and top backup Luke Musgrave, both of whom are starting camp on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Kraft is still working back from tearing the ACL in his right knee early last November, while Musgrave sustained an undisclosed injury in spring workouts.
Kraft has said he anticipates coming off the PUP list at some point during camp and being ready to return to the field without limitations by September 13’s season opener, but it is unclear the extent of Musgrave’s injury or how long he might need to heal up.
Even if the Packers have positive outlooks on both, it would not come as a surprise to see them add another tight end to their ranks for the early, unpadded days of camp.
Like HEAVY's content?Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Packers Work Out Ex-Lions Running Back Amid Latest Injury News appeared first on HEAVY.