You have to feel for Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd. Through his first two NFL seasons, the former USC star has seen his NFL career disrupted by a frustrating string of injuries that kept him off the field and prevented him from showing what he could do. But this year, MarShawn Lloyd has one more chance to prove he can help the Packers offense.
MarShawn Lloyd Has One More Chance to Prove He Can Help the Packers: His Career So Far
The Packers selected Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That was the same offseason the team signed Josh Jacobs as a free agent. GM Brian Gutekunst envisioned Lloyd as a change of pace back who could perfectly complement his starter.
Jacobs excels at running between the tackles and making people miss in close quarters. He can carry the ball 20-25 times per game and remain effective. Meanwhile, Lloyd gives the team a speedy, one-cut runner who is a threat to break a long run at any time. Because he is only 5’9”, he is unlikely to be a bell cow back who gets the ball more than 15 times a game.
Unfortunately, Lloyd has not been able to stay on the field in his two NFL seasons. Injuries struck in training camp of his rookie year. He managed to return early in the regular season but played in just one game as a rookie. He carried six times for 15 yards and caught one pass for three yards. Then, Lloyd missed the rest of the season with additional injuries.
In 2025, Lloyd made one preseason appearance and then spent the rest of the season unavailable due to injuries. He returned to practice midway through the season only to suffer another injury which effectively shelved him for the rest of the campaign.
Where Things Stand Now
The Packers want to see what Lloyd can do on the football field. They sent him to be thoroughly examined by a specialist named John Meyer, the same doctor who had helped Christian Watson deal with his soft tissue injury issues the previous offseason.
Lloyd was pleased with the treatment he got and called it “amazing.” He added, “We figured out what we needed to do, figured out what I needed, and we just attacked it the whole offseason. I didn’t really get to see my family as much as I wanted to because, yes, my family’s important, but my family knows how important this is to me.”
The good news for Packers fans has been that Lloyd has worked hard and kept a positive attitude. When he got to OTAs and mandatory minicamp, he looked very good.
Running backs coach Ben Sirmans liked what he saw during the offseason program. “Not only does he give you something alongside with Josh, I mean he can do things that the other guys can’t, in terms of his speed and quickness,” Sirmans said. “We’re very optimistic, but we’ve all been optimistic before. So, we just got to wait and see what’s going to happen.”
MarShawn Lloyd Has One More Chance to Prove He Can Help the Packers: Looking Ahead
Lloyd appears to be fully aware that this is likely his last chance to stick with the Packers. “Usually in the NFL, you don’t play for two years, you’re gone. That’s just how the league works,” Lloyd admitted. “I don’t want to be a player that’s just here. I want to be able to contribute, and I will. … I know when my time comes and it’s time to go, I’ll show a lot of people why the Packers drafted me almost three years ago now. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re coming.”
The team continues to hold out hope. Teammates are noticing the things that Lloyd is capable of doing.
“He’s very explosive, and he does some really good things, but he’s just one of those guys that’s kind of just got that freaky twitch ability that is just God-given,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “You catch yourself watching him practice — we watched him in some of the preseason games last year — and you get excited.”
Ultimately, Lloyd will have to stay healthy and perform well to establish himself as the team’s number two running back. With the departure of Emanuel Wilson, the job is there for the taking. Lloyd has said and done all the right things but still has to prove himself on the field.
“The proof will be in the pudding,” head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier this offseason.
He’s got to show that consistently over the course of all of OTAs, into training camp, into the preseason, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage
Check out our YouTube channel here
