The Green Bay Packers need someone to step up at running back behind Josh Jacobs, and there's no time like the present for MarShawn Lloyd to make good on the promise implied by his draft status. But can the Packers really count on Lloyd in 2026?
How that question is answered could go a long way in determining this offense's ceiling. Between concerns about the offensive line, the ongoing/unresolved Josh Jacobs legal saga, and rather obscure names elsewhere on the depth chart, Lloyd has the ultimate chance to elevate this entire Green Bay rushing attack.
If he shows off the skills that helped him force 47 missed tackles in his last full season of football at USC, the 2024 third-round pick may live up to that billing yet. Alas, Lloyd's inauspicious start to the preseason in the Packers' 28-9 loss at Pittsburgh (four carries, 13 yards, and one catch for a 4-yard loss) only begs more questions.
Packers (still) waiting to see MarShawn Lloyd's true draft potential
If you're spending a Day 2 draft asset at a non-premium position, you probably have some serious conviction about a prospect. That's what the Packers did when they made MarShawn Lloyd the 88th overall pick. Unfortunately, he's appeared in only one single regular-season game since then.
Injuries are a sad reality of the game we all love. Football is a grueling, unforgiving sport. Running backs are subjected to some of the most severe punishment. Lloyd suffered a torn ACL back in 2020, but it's been more about soft-tissue injuries (hamstring, groin) since he entered the NFL ranks.
We shouldn't read too much into Lloyd's underwhelming Week 1 of the preseason. Again, the Packers' starting offensive line is still taking shape, and he had to have some nerves to be back in a live game situation.
Lloyd's initial 5-yard run on Thursday night looked explosive enough. He also has a nice blend of lateral agility and power to shrug off tackles. Not a lot of wear and tear on him entering his third year as a pro, either.
How MarShawn Lloyd serves as the ultimate Josh Jacobs insurance policy
Any of that implicit goodwill or imagined upside that Lloyd has as of now could be put to the test soon enough. Jacobs could very well face a suspension even if he doesn't face formal charges from his domestic dispute case.
Lloyd is a thickly-built, 220-pound bruiser with a low center of gravity at 5-9 and surprising shiftiness for a man of that bulk. He's a decisive north-south runner, yet he can spin and pull off strong one-cut runs to maintain his upfield momentum and elude defenders with relative ease.
That's all the Packers really need. Whenever Jacobs does play and how often, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur can't afford to run him into the ground. Jacobs may only be 28 years old, but he has over 2,000 NFL touches under his belt. He's no spring chicken.
Teams sometimes look for running backs with complementary skill sets. In terms of build and playing style, Jacobs and Lloyd are quite similar, which means LaFleur won't have to tweak much whenever Lloyd is in the lineup. That should work to the offense's advantage, because as things stand now, the Packers should lean more on franchise quarterback Jordan Love and the passing attack anyway.
A high-stakes opportunity to launch a breakout...or face obscurity
It's conceivable that Chris Brooks could beat out MarShawn Lloyd for Green Bay's RB2 gig. However, given Lloyd's draft billing and the Packers' probable eagerness to see what he can do, this has to be viewed as Lloyd's job to lose.
However, make no mistake, Lloyd is under a fair amount of pressure here. If he can't emerge as Jacobs' primary backup, all of a sudden his career trajectory could take a nosedive.
Lloyd has a promising track toward a significant role in 2026. He just has zero margin for error. Brooks has proven capable enough (4.8 yards per carry on 82 career attempts) to stand in if his number is called. He's also been with the Packers the past two seasons. Brooks has seen plenty of action, missing only two games in that span.
You know that tired football cliché. The best ability is availability. This season is probably Lloyd's last chance to prove he can fulfill that baseline objective. Otherwise, Brooks will be entrenched, and Lloyd could be looking for another team to play for in 2027 with the odds stacked against him.
Hence why Lloyd is such a wildcard for the Packers this season. He's the human, IRL equivalent of the J.J. Abrams mystery box, or the never-know-what-you're-gonna-get metaphorical box of chocolates fictitious football legend Forrest Gump once deeply pondered upon.
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