With another win on Thanksgiving, the Green Bay Packers are on the path to the playoffs. At 8-3-1, the Packers are right behind the Chicago Bears, who they’ll face twice over the next three weeks, including a Week 14 showdown at Lambeau Field on Sunday. But even with their success, the Packers’ backfield remains a fluid situation.
One of the wild cards is the status of running back MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd has spent more time on the sidelines than on the field due to injury over his first two years in Green Bay, and he’s spent all of this season rehabbing a groin injury sustained in the preseason.
With just one game and six carries for 15 yards in his NFL career, it would be easy for the Packers to show Lloyd the door. But their split in the backfield during last week’s win over the Detroit Lions showed that there’s room for him to join the party, and he could contribute down the stretch if he ever returns to the field.
Emanuel Wilson Has Opened the Door for MarShawn Lloyd’s Return to Packers’ Backfield
The backfield looked crowded two weeks ago when Emanuel Wilson broke out against the Minnesota Vikings with 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While starter Josh Jacobs was out of that game with a knee injury, Wilson appeared to be the clear No. 2 option in the backfield until the win over the Lions.
Jacobs returned and had a solid game with 17 carries for 83 yards. But Wilson was virtually absent, getting just four carries after toting the ball 39 times over the previous two games. If the Packers had fully bought into Wilson’s breakout game the week before, they may have taken the opportunity to get him more involved and allowed Jacobs to ease in as he returned from a knee contusion. But it’s now clear that the Packers only view Wilson as insurance for Jacobs as opposed to a complement.
A big reason for this may be Wilson’s performance in the passing game. While he has 13 catches for 87 yards in 12 games, he’s been a liability in pass protection, logging a 37.9 overall grade on 58 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Even seldom-used running back Chris Brooks has a better pass-blocking grade (69.5) this season and could have the Packers thinking Wilson is an expendable piece.
With Lloyd, the Packers may see something different. A third-round pick in the 2024 draft, Lloyd racked up 820 yards and nine touchdowns with 13 catches for 232 yards in his final collegiate season at USC in 2023. The Packers have seen some of his explosiveness on the field as well when he ripped off a 33-yard reception in the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Of course, Lloyd was injured shortly after that big play, and the Packers haven’t seen him on the field since. Lloyd’s performance in pass protection is also a concern, as he had a 28.9 pass-blocking grade on 35 snaps, but his playmaking ability may be greater than Wilson, who had just 3.8 yards per carry in his breakout game and 4.0 yards per carry this season.
All of this assumes that Lloyd can be healthy enough to finally return to the field. But if he’s able to overcome his injuries, he could be the complement needed to carry the Packers across the finish line.