I can just hear the song, “Oops! … I Did It Again,” being played on a loop in my head.
MarShawn Lloyd came to the Packers with a lot of promise as a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after averaging over 7 yards a carry at USC.
However, the moment he put on the green and gold, he suffered a hip injury, which forced him to miss the early portions of the 2024 training camp. Then he suffered a hamstring sprain in the preseason opener. In Week 2, he suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain, which led to him being placed on injured reserve. In November, he was diagnosed with appendicitis and had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. He was moved to the non-football injury/illness list and didn’t play again in 2024.
This past offseason, the Packers sent Lloyd to UW-Madison to get evaluated at the Badger Athletic Performance facility, which was where Christian Watson went to get evaluated for his oft-injured hamstrings.
Things were going good in camp until he missed the preseason opener with a groin injury and then he suffered a hamstring injury at Indianapolis this past Saturday.
The cryptic quote from Packers coach Matt LaFleur didn’t say much but it said a lot. “He’s going to miss some time.”
And we all know that hamstring injuries are soft tissue and have a tendency to flare up throughout the rest of the season. That’s why this injury hurts so much. It’s not just because Lloyd has had a checkered past with injuries. It’s because this could very well nag at him throughout the rest of the season.
There is a reason why the Packers drafted him. He brings that rare blend of speed, vision and the willingness to run through contact.
However, do the Packers really know what they have in Lloyd? They’ve seen all of his highlights as he makes defensive players look silly. But none of that has translated to Green Bay yet.
And now the Packers and Lloyd are in a weird position. Do the Packers rush Lloyd back quickly in an effort to capitalize on his athleticism, while risking another injury? Or do they let him sit for a long period of time, knowing that the longer he sits out, the longer it might take to get him back to his regular quick-cutting self?
That’s a tough call. At this point, the smart answer is to just sit longer and take your time. Lloyd has already been stung by enough injury bugs. The Packers need to see him healthy — even if that means putting the running back room a little thin at depth.
I loved the Lloyd pick last year. It was a solid choice and he has said numerous times how excited he is to be in Green Bay. Unfortunately, the most important ability in the NFL is availability — and he just hasn’t been around enough to make a viable impact.
I’ve heard and read that the Packers should give up on Lloyd. That’s the wrong answer for a guy that is only 24. He is under contract until 2027 with cap hits of $1.2 million in 2025, $1.5 million in 2026 and $1.8 million in 2027. That’s peanuts in today’s NFL.
Lloyd also has the attitude that he wants to prove everyone wrong that already has him labeled as an injury risk.
I still think he can succeed in this league, it will just take patience — from both sides.