The Green Bay Packers selected MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the running back has played exactly one game since. Two years of hamstring injuries robbed Lloyd of his rookie season and his sophomore campaign. Now, entering Year 3, the Packers running back has the biggest opportunity of his career in front of him, and the timing could not be better for his career.

A new approach to an old problem

Lloyd’s injury history traces back to his college days. He suffered an ACL injury during his time at South Carolina, even before transferring to USC, and the belief is that he was overcompensating in his movement patterns as a result. This offseason, Lloyd underwent specialized psychological testing and biomechanical assessments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s athletic performance facility. The process helped identify muscular imbalances and structural asymmetries that caused chronic soft-tissue and hamstring injuries throughout his NFL career.

The results appear promising. Last year, Lloyd was relatively healthy throughout training camp but got injured again in his first preseason appearance. This time around, he played in two preseason games, handled some volume, and enters the regular season healthy. In those two games, Lloyd had 10 rushing attempts for 30 yards (25 of which came after contact), generating a 67.8 PFF run grade. He also caught both of his targets for seven yards. Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans expressed cautious optimism about Lloyd’s progress.

“He’s proven that he’s done some different things with his body this summer and over OTAs, prepares himself the right way,” Sirmans said. “We’re starting to feel a lot more confident that he’s going to be fine, but you still have to be cautious.”

Ideal moment to show his talent level

Lloyd is set to start, at least early in the season, with Josh Jacobs on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List. That’s impactful for the Packers’ short-term outlook, but the long-term stakes are even greater for the player.

Lloyd is entering his third NFL season, which means he will be eligible for a contract extension next offseason. The Packers may not be inclined to commit long-term given his injury history, but a full healthy season could potentially change the calculus. If Lloyd proves he can sustain availability and performs well, Green Bay could consider some type of extension, especially because the Packers won’t carry significant dead money or cash implications by releasing Jacobs next offseason.

That creates a clear path for Lloyd to establish himself as a viable long-term replacement at the position.

Lloyd wasn’t necessarily a high-volume running back in college, but his final season at USC showed what he could do with consistent opportunity. He rushed for 820 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 attempts, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He also added 13 receptions for 232 yards, an average of 17.8 yards per catch. In the NFL, his sample size is microscopic. His lone appearance in 2024 produced six carries for 15 yards and one reception for three yards.

Lloyd is a different type of running back than Jacobs. At 5-foot-9, 220 pounds, the youngster is faster and more of a player who can exploit the holes the offensive line creates rather than a between-the-tackles pounder. The Packers still hope the former 88th overall pick can become what they envisioned when they drafted him, and this season will determine whether that vision has any chance of becoming reality.