The Green Bay Packers know that Josh Jacobs is the lead bellcow in the backfield, but the answers behind him are up in the air. When you take a look at the depth chart, it's Chris Brooks, Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez, undrafted rookie Jaden Nixon, and MarShawn Lloyd, but the Packers' leaning on Lloyd is very risky.
Following the NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he feels "very good about that group." Despite his belief, it seems like blind faith, especially with how Lloyd's career has gone thus far.
Green Bay running backs coach Ben Sirmans also stated that Lloyd can do things other backs on the roster can't do, but can they rely on the USC product? Based on how his career has gone, the answer is no, but it seems like the Packers will give him another shot in 2026.
Packers banking on MarShawn Lloyd is risky due to his injury history
The Packers drafted Lloyd with the 88th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it has been an uphill climb since setting foot into the league. He has only appeared in one game for the Packers, logging six carries for 15 yards.
Outside of that game, Lloyd has been on the sideline. As a rookie, he missed time due to hip, hamstring, and ankle injuries in training camp and before undergoing surgery for an appendectomy later on in the year. The problems continued in the 2025 season. He missed the entire season due to a hamstring injury.
For two straight seasons, Lloyd has dealt with multiple injuries that have kept him on the sideline. Obviously, that's unfortunate, but banking on him to be a contributor is shaky due to the fact that no one has seen it done thus far.
Jacobs, meanwhile, has logged 230-plus carries and played in at least 15 games. That shows his consistency to get suited for gamedays, but you never know what injury might take place. If he were to go down, there would be some serious questions about the running back room.
That's why the idea of leaning on Lloyd in 2026 comes with some huge risk. It's great that Lloyd was able to participate in group work during Phase II of offseason programs for the first time in his career. This is certainly a step in the right direction, which is giving him confidence, per Sirmans. But this isn't when it matters. The Packers need him on gamedays, and as of now, we haven't seen that.
If they don't make another addition to the RB room and decide to roll with Lloyd as RB2, they may come to regret that decision when the season rolls around.
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