Forgotten Packers offensive weapon is finally positioned to prove himself and timing could not be better for Green Bay
Running back MarShawn Lloyd appears to be healthy, and staying that way through the season is his first big challenge to help the Packers in 2026.
The Green Bay Packers drafted running back MarShawn Lloyd in the third round two years ago expecting a dynamic offensive weapon. Instead, a string of hamstring injuries and an appendicitis kept him off the field for 35 of 36 possible games across his first two NFL seasons. Now healthy and facing a restructured backfield, Lloyd has a genuine opportunity to contribute for the first time in his professional career.
Lloyd is well aware of the outside noise surrounding his availability, but he’s choosing to block it out and let his play do the talking. With two years left on his rookie deal, it’s time to make it happen.
“I try to stay away from it, but my family, my girlfriend, my girlfriend’s family, my mother, my sisters, everyone, they do look at that stuff,” Lloyd said in the locker room last week. “But me, I just try to stay away from it. I do see some people that text me personally or on social media or something, and they’ll say good things. I do see some bad things as well, but it comes with it. I’m excited to prove the ones that are excited right. And then prove the ones that are not excited wrong.”
The challenge ahead
Lloyd doesn’t shy away from the criticism. He understands that missing nearly two full seasons makes skepticism fair, and he’s embracing the challenge rather than running from it.
“I couldn’t do it. I can’t do anything until I make it happen,” Lloyd said. “Like Coach LaFleur said, prove it. If I want you to change that narrative, prove it.”
LaFleur’s message was direct, and Lloyd appears to have internalized it. The Packers aren’t going to hand him a role based on draft pedigree alone. He’ll have to earn it through consistent health and production. In last year’s preseason, Lloyd had a 33-yard reception against the Indianapolis Colts, but the down-to-down efficiency wasn’t there, averaring only 2.5 yards per carry.
A backfield with real opportunity
Green Bay’s running back room looks different than it did a year ago, and that circumstance could help Lloyd get more reps and carries. Emanuel Wilson departed in free agency, and while the Packers re-signed Chris Brooks to a two-year contract, there’s a clear opening behind starter Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs’ availability could also come into question because of his arrest and personal issues. So far, though, Jacobs is available.
That combination of factors gives Lloyd the best window he’s had since arriving in Green Bay. The Packers need a capable secondary option behind Jacobs, and Lloyd’s draft status suggests they believed he could be exactly that when they invested a third-round pick in him.
The question about Lloyd is much more about durability than talent. Two years of injuries have prevented him from showing what he can do at the NFL level, and the patience of any organization has limits. Green Bay gave him the benefit of the doubt by keeping him on the roster through an extended absence, but that goodwill only stretches so far without on-field results.
This is Lloyd’s chance to validate the investment the Packers made and carve out a meaningful role in the offense. Whether he walks through it depends entirely on staying healthy and producing when called upon.