On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers had their first media-open organized team activities of the 2026 offseason. Unfortunately, their running back room was a little thin, as Josh Jacobs was just being released from jail that day and both MarShawn Lloyd and Damien Martinez were unavailable to use during team drills due to injury.
This left just the following players to play running back for the Packers: blocking back Chris Brooks, 2025 practice squadder Pierre Strong Jr. and 2026 undrafted free agent rookie Jaden Nixon.
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So, with Green Bay’s thin running back room (and the looming cloud around Jacobs) in mind, I wanted to take a look at what’s going on with the United Football League, whose players will start becoming available to sign next month.
To my surprise, of the eight UFL teams, three teams’ leaders in rushing are former Packers.
The league-leader in rushing right now is Jarveon Howard, who has taken 100 carries (2nd most in UFL) for 430 yards, but somehow is the only back among the top 16 in yards who hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown. Howard, who played at Syracuse and Alcorn State, got his start in the NFL with the Packers in 2024 as an undrafted free agent.
He was waived with an injury designation during training camp of his rookie year, but caught wind with the St. Louis Battlehawks during the 2025 season. He signed with the Buffalo Bills following his first stint with the UFL, but was waived with an injury designation after just one day in Buffalo. After that, he returned to St. Louis, where he plays today.
James Robinson is sixth in the league with 83 carries for 300 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Robinson was a member of the Packers in 2023, where he played in one regular-season game and recorded one carry for two yards. Prior to his time in Green Bay, Robinson had made 32 starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.
After going two years without an NFL regular-season carry, Robinson signed with the Louisville Kings, an expansion team, where he now leads the team in rushing.
The final former Packer to lead their team in rushing is Ellis Merriweather, who spent two years as a practice squadder in Green Bay. Merriweather played junior college football before transferring to UMass. After his college career, he got his first crack with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.
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Merriweather initially made the Saints’ practice squad in 2023, but was released shortly after. Later that year, the Packers signed him to their practice squad, re-signed him for the 2024 season and then had him on the practice squad for that year, too.
He wasn’t brought back in 2025, as he finished the 2024 season on the Packers’ practice squad injured reserve. After spending the 2025 season out of the NFL, he resurfaced with the Dallas Renegades, where he’s posted 83 carreis for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
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You might want to keep an eye on the final week of UFL regular-season action before the playoffs start. Considering the Packers’ running back depth and the team’s ties to some of the top rushers in the league, I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a reunion in the future.
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