MarShawn Lloyd has piled up an unusual number of injuries to start his career. That has landed him on the shelf for most of his rookie season and all of his second season to date. Lloyd missed the first four games of this season and, after not returning to practice on Monday, could miss Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, when he returns, his potential role is fascinating.
Emanuel Wilson has been just fine as the No. 2 running back in Lloyd’s absence. Wilson had six carries against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and eight rushes, along with three receptions, in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys. The point?
While Josh Jacobs is the bell cow, there are opportunities for others, primarily Wilson, behind him.
Chris Brooks has served as a complementary running back who usually comes in on passing downs as the best blocker of the bunch. He also has five receptions on the season.
But as good as Wilson has been this year and in the past, when he’s healthy, Lloyd is just different. Of course, we haven’t seen it on display much in the NFL due to injuries, but the Packers drafted Lloyd in the third round in 2024 for a reason.
The film pops, and we even saw glimpses of it in the preseason this summer before a hamstring injury landed Lloyd on IR with the designation to return.
Wes Hodkiewicz, who writes for Packers.com, put it best when answering mailbag questions in August.
Lloyd, if he can stay healthy, has uncoachable traits that could make him a problem in this league. I cannot wait for Packers fans to see Lloyd in an actual game. His speed and explosiveness are different for a back his size.
The wait has lasted longer than anyone could’ve ever imagined, and is still ongoing. Yet when Lloyd returns, he will likely steal the reps currently going to Wilson, or at least some of them.
Lloyd received glowing reports during training camp this summer. He showcased his quick-twitch play, which blended with his ability to break free on a long run at any given time, on several occasions.
Before the hamstring injury in August, Lloyd had noted how long it had been since he last played in a game that counts.
I haven’t played football in – it’s been a minute since I played football, pretty much since college, really. I’m excited to play against another team. Just have fun and showcase what I can do. I’m excited.
Shortly after that interview, Lloyd suffered a hamstring injury during Green Bay’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. He hasn’t been back since.
It’d be foolish to expect Lloyd to unseat Jacobs. Jacobs is undoubtedly the best player in the room. However, carving out a legitimate role as the No. 2 running back is within reach for Lloyd if he can stay healthy.
It won’t be a split to the degree that we see with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. Think more like what we see Sean McVay with running back Kyren Williams playing 77% of the snaps so far this year, while Blake Corum has seen 21%.
Giving Lloyd around that amount of a workload still gets Jacobs all the looks he needs while also giving the Packers a chance to see what Lloyd offers. It’s also not a huge investment in terms of a workload for Lloyd. If he gets injured again, it would cause a drastic reconfiguration of the offensive scheme. Wilson could simply step right back into the mix.
We’ve seen it in training camp. We’ve seen bits of it in the limited preseason action that Lloyd had this year. Now it’s time to roll it out in the regular season once Lloyd gets the clearance to play.
Seeing Lloyd still hold out on Monday, coming out of the bye week, isn’t reassuring. Green Bay will play this smart, though, and not rush Lloyd back until he’s 100% healthy. It’s not as though there’s a desperate need at the position right now; the combo of Jacobs, Wilson, and Brooks has been fine. What’s one or two more missed weeks at this point?
When Lloyd does return, he should have an opportunity to make an immediate impact in a reserve role behind Jacobs. Staying healthy is priority No. 1. Earning his keep after that is the next box to check off. Lloyd has all the promise in the world. Now he just needs to stay healthy.