The Green Bay Packers entered the 2026 NFL offseason with some decisions to make at the running back position.
First and foremost, they needed to decide on the future of star veteran Josh Jacobs. It didn’t take long for general manager Brian Gutekunst to make it clear that Jacobs was still a piece he’s building the offense around.
Behind Jacobs, however, there were other decisions to make. The Packers decided to let Emanuel Wilson walk in free agency, where he ended up signing with the Seattle Seahawks. Green Bay did bring back Chris Brooks to be Jacobs’ backup.
MarShawn Lloyd remains on the roster. He was originally selected by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Since then, he has played in just one game, as injuries have completely derailed his career.
Despite the injury concerns, Green Bay remains hopeful about Lloyd. It sounds like the front office still thinks he can be a playmaker in 2026.
Packers Reveal Major Update About MarShawn Lloyd’s Status
As shared by Weston Hodkiewicz, running backs coach Ben Sirmans spoke out about Lloyd. He clearly still has belief in the young running back.
“He’s got a really good plan for himself and he’s looking really good; really explosive, which is what we saw when we drafted him,” Sirmans said.
In addition to that comment, Sirmans also tempered expectations a bit as well.
“We’re very optimistic, but we’ve all been optimistic before. So we just gotta wait and see.”
At the end of the day, Lloyd was a third-round pick for a reason. The playmaking potential is clear. Unfortunately, the injuries cannot be ignored and have wrecked the start of his career.
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While he hasn’t been able to play much at all in the NFL, his college career shows a bit more of what he can bring to an offense.
Lloyd played three seasons in college, his first two coming at South Carolina before finishing up at USC. In his final college season with the Trojans, he carried the football 116 times for 820 yards and nine touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 232 yards.
Throughout his entire three-year career, Lloyd totaled 1,621 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 291 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He averaged 7.1 yards per attempt in his final year at USC.
Just from those numbers, it’s clear that he can make plays. Having a big-play threat in the backfield behind a workhorse in Jacobs would be an ideal situation.
Only time will tell if Lloyd can stay on the field and finally become the player the Packers drafted him to be. Hopefully, this season is the year that happens.
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