The Green Bay Packers will now have to wait at least another month to integrate third-round rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd into their backfield rotation.
The Packers officially placed Lloyd on the injured reserve list on September 17 after he suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of his NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. Lloyd carried the ball six times for 15 yards in the Packers’ 16-10 win, but he managed to play just 10 offensive snaps before exiting the game with his injury.
Lloyd has missed time with three different injuries over the past two months for the Packers. He sat out early in training camp with a hip injury, then missed the final two preseason games and the team’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles with a hamstring issue. Still, Lloyd seemed optimistic about his status the day after the game.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Lloyd told reporters in the locker room on September 16. “It’s a sprain, so I’ve just gotta figure out how, I’m walking pretty good. I’m doing everything pretty good. It’s just a day-by-day thing. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
With the move to IR, Lloyd will miss at least the next four games for the Packers and will not be eligible for activation back to the 53-man roster until Week 7 at the earliest.
The Packers also signed running back Chris Brooks from their practice squad to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, a corresponding move that keeps them at the roster limit. He spent the 2023 season with the Miami Dolphins and has 106 career rushing yards.
MarShawn Lloyd Leaning on Josh Jacobs’ Injury Advice
Lloyd has every right to be frustrated with the unfortunate start to his NFL career. The Packers selected him with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft with intentions to make him their complementary back to newly signed starter Josh Jacobs. Now, Lloyd could have to wait until the middle of the 2024 season to properly return to the fold.
As Lloyd explained Monday, though, Jacobs has helped him stay level-headed through his injury troubles as a veteran with perspective on time-limiting injuries in his career.
“Every time I get frustrated, I have a guy like Josh Jacobs. Because he knows, he’s been through it,” Lloyd said. “Every time I say something about it or I’ll come up to him and say like, ‘Can’t catch a break.’ Josh will stop me right in the nick of it and he’s like, ‘It happens.’ Like he said yesterday, who cares? That’s something I really like that he said to me. ‘Who cares? Just do what you can do, accept the adversity, just get better.’
“At the end, there’s gonna be something good that comes out, so I’m just taking things day-by-day and eventually I’ll be ready to go.”
Packers Imposed Their Will in Run Game vs. Colts
The Packers are losing a notable piece of their backfield with Lloyd now shut down for the next month, but the good news is that they accomplished quite a bit on the ground against the Colts on Sunday without much contribution from Lloyd in the rotation.
As was their game plan, the Packers leaned heavily on the run game against the Colts, rushing an incredible 53 times for 261 yards. Jacobs paced their efforts with 32 carries for 151 yards, finishing with the most rushing yards in the NFL in Week 2. Green Bay also made use of its fleet-footed wide receivers with Jayden Reed rushing twice for 37 yards and Bo Melton adding a 16-yard dash to keep the Colts off-balance on defense.
The Packers could face a tougher challenge against the Tennessee Titans — currently the NFL’s 10th-best rushing defense — than they did against the Colts, who have given up the most rushing yards per game (237.0) in the league through the first two weeks. Still, their Week 2 rushing performance should encourage them about their outlook without Lloyd in the mix over the next few weeks, so long as they can keep Jacobs healthy.
