Dallas Cowboys Watch as Rival Green Bay Packers Make Big RB Moves

The Green Bay Packers signed Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and then cut veteran Aaron Jones in a move that surprised head coach Matt LaFleur.

Nov 19, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (8) runs the / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

As the Dallas Cowboys lose Tony Pollard and get worse at running back, the Green Bay Packers also took a loss at the position ... and got better.

The Packers made a high-profile move for Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs in free agency as the franchise signed him to a four-year, $48 million contract.

Now with Jacobs, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, the Packers had a very potent backfield ... until they didn't. The Packers would then release Jones, who had slowly been working his way back to form in the second half of the season. Dallas, meanwhile, was never in on Jacobs. Or Jones. Or even Dillon.

And a Dallas rival - the one that beat the Cowboys in a playoff upset - just moved up.

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur has now revealed that the front office's move to sign Jacobs and then to cut Jones was one that he wasn't expecting.

“There were some other things in play, obviously with Aaron Jones, and I didn’t quite know how everything was going to go,” LaFleur said via Jason Wilde of Madison.com. “It just happened really fast on that Monday. … It happened really fast, so I don’t know all the details of that. I’m not involved in those types of conversations. But we were super excited (to get Jacobs).”

Mar 6, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur looks on during / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Head coaches generally aren't privy to those types of conversations, but in the case of Aaron Jones, who when healthy, is a crucial piece of LaFleur's offense, perhaps a little heads up might have been warranted.

Instead, the Packers opted to cut Jones and move forward with Jacobs and Dillon as their two running backs to support Jordan Love and the offense.

After a superb 2023 season that saw Love and Green Bay make the playoffs, dismantle the Dallas Cowboys before narrowly losing to the San Francisco 49ers, the franchise is loading up again.

But while the move for Jacobs will no doubt be welcomed by LaFleur, the news of Jones being released is still likely taking some getting used to given he wasn't expecting it. ... just like the news of Dallas lacking talent and depth at the spot is going to take some getting used to around The Star.