The Green Bay Packers fell in love with MarShawn Lloyd before the 2024 NFL Draft, and they refuse to get off that hill. The former third-round pick has dealt with a myriad of injuries, and most teams would've already given up on him to sign someone else. Not the Packers, though.
While Josh Jacobs will continue to be the undisputed bellcow running back in Green Bay, the Packers still hope that Lloyd can finally give them something. In his latest media availability, Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans tried to get the fans pumped about Lloyd again:
"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," Simmar said in media availability, per Weston Hodkiewicz.
Simmar added that the team was "very optimistic, but we’ve all been optimistic before. So we just gotta wait and see," per Matt Schneidman.
The Packers must let the MarShawn Lloyd experiment go.
Obviously, it would be nice to finally watch if Lloyd's impressive college tape can translate to the pros. He's a speedy and sneaky guy who made a living out of finding gaps in the second level of the defense to get off to the races and leave defenders in the dust.
On paper, he would be a perfect complement for Jacobs, who would wear out the opposing defense as the true workhorse, just for Lloyd to bring some juice, change of pace, and acceleration to the table.
However, at this point, that might just be wishful thinking. The Packers are rolling into the season with Jacobs, who dealt with a minor knee injury last season, and two underwhelming backups in Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. If or when Lloyd gets hurt, Matt LaFleur won't be left with many reliable options.
Having Jacobs in the lineup, the Packers clearly don't need to make a big investment in another running back. And with a thin running back class and limited resources, the decision not to take one in the NFL Draft also made perfect sense.
That said, there are still proven options out there with a wide range of skill sets and experience under their belts. There are bruisers like Kareem Hunt and Najee Harris, or speedy veterans like Raheem Mostert and Miles Sanders. There are even pass-catching guys like Austin Ekeler or Antonio Gibson.
The Packers have every reason to like Lloyd, and he shouldn't be to blame for getting hurt. This, of course, is not to say they should just cut the cord on him. However, with two backups who may not be much of an upgrade over the departed Emanuel Wilson, this team should've prepared better for the possibility of yet another injury.
That's way too much optimism for a third-round pick with one career appearance.
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