Paul Bretl | 7/9/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Once undrafted out of Division-II Fort Valley State and a late addition to the Packers’ 2023 offseason roster, just like that, Emanuel Wilson is about to embark on his third NFL season in Green Bay, one that features a deep running back room with playing time and potentially roster spots up for grabs.
“It feels a little weird,” Wilson said about being in Year 3 already, “but then again, it’s just football at the end of the day. I just try to keep the main thing the main thing, really.”
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After appearing in seven games as a rookie in 2023, which included 14 carries, Wilson’s role this past year expanded greatly. With MarShawn Lloyd sidelined for much of the year, Wilson emerged as the Packers’ top backup running back option behind Josh Jacobs, finishing second in both snaps and carries among his position group.
With those 103 rush attempts, Wilson was highly effective, averaging an impressive 4.9 yards per rush, while also scoring four touchdowns. Out of 57 eligible running backs, Wilson ranked eighth in yards per rush. He also forced 28 missed tackles and ranked 24th in PFF’s breakaway rate metric, which measures how often a back generates a run of 15-plus yards.
“I felt good about it,” Wilson said of his play. “I had an improvement from my rookie year, a lot of improvements that I worked on as far as my pass pro, learning the offense and playing fast; also learning from Josh and the coaches.”
As running backs coach Ben Sirmans described last season, Wilson’s ability to make defenders miss and routinely generate positive plays begins with his acceleration and being able to start and stop on a dime.
“He’s got really, really good feet and acceleration,” said running backs coach Ben Sirmans. “And when I say that, like his cutting ability, he can stop and start at full speed, and I think what happens with that, is when defenders are, whether they’re coming at him or he’s got to read a block, is when they’re ready to change direction as he’s changing direction, he’s already by them. So I think that’s a facet of his skill set that kind of has allowed him to have those explosive runs.”
The learning curve for every player making the jump from college to the NFL level is going to vary, but for Wilson, coming from the D-II collegiate level, it was particularly steep. For one, the playbook under Matt LaFleur is quite robust, but getting opportunities on Sundays at running back, especially for rotational players, isn’t only about what they can do as a ball carrier, they also have to hold their own in the passing game, both as pass catchers and in pass protection.
That last part can often be the most difficult for a young running back, and it was an area for Wilson where significant growth was needed as a rookie, and it’s now an aspect of his game that has grown substantially over the last two years.
“He took a great jump from his rookie year to last year,” Sirmans said of Wilson. “I think he only had one mental mistake,” Sirmans said of Wilson, “even though he didn’t play as much as a rookie but he played a lot this (past) year, to have only one mistake just speaks volumes to how he has grown so even this year he seems a lot more comfortable in the offense, he’s practicing a lot harder, so I think he’s finally gotten to that point where he’s kind of evolved a lot more. So definitely expecting a lot of things out of him.”
This offseason, Wilson has been focused on continuing to expand his game so he can shoulder more responsibilities within LaFleur’s offense. Maintaining a good playing weight and working on his speed have been other points of emphasis as well.
“With Chris back,” Wilson said, “he’s teaching me a little bit of the ‘F’ role a little bit. I’m trying to learn that as well.”
Wilson added, “Really just work on my speed, really. Just trying to improve my speed. Also watching my weight, as well. Really just been my main focus is my speed and my weight.”
We know that Jacobs will be leading the way at running back for the Packers, but how the playing time shakes out behind him remains to be seen. The Packers find themselves in a situation where they have several options, along with different skill sets to utilize, which helps foster competition.
After navigating numerous injuries as a rookie, Lloyd is fully healthy and ready for what’s next. As LaFleur has described, Lloyd brings a different element to the Packers’ backfield with his speed and burst. Brooks, meanwhile, filled a do-it-all role at the running back spot last season, lining up across the formation while particularly standing out in pass protection.
As alluded to, it might not only be playing time that is up for grabs this summer behind Jacobs, but potentially roster spots as well. Typically, teams roster three running backs on the 53-man roster, and if the Packers choose to go heavy and keep four, that means having to go light at another position.
“Wonderful,” Wilson said of the running back depth. “The room is full with talent, honestly.” … “Just being able to have everybody in that room, we’re all teaching each other something. Really just trying to uplift one another.”
Now about to enter his third NFL season, Wilson is very familiar with the playbook, the responsibilities that he has on a given play, and with the reps he’s had, both in practices and in games, he is entering the upcoming training camp with a new level of confidence.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Wilson said of his play last season, “because I know I could have done a lot more better, make better reads and also press the line of scrimmage on my runs; also using my eyes in protection.”