The Packers are starting to get some real buzz around MarShawn Lloyd, and Thursday’s practice made it clear why.
With Josh Jacobs sidelined by a groin issue, Lloyd took the bulk of the snaps with Green Bay’s first-team offense and kept showing up in the action. The third-round pick has had a rough road with injuries and has played only 10 regular-season snaps since arriving in the league, but he looked like a player gaining ground in camp. Right now, he looks positioned as the Packers’ No. 2 back behind Jacobs in 2026.
Thursday was the final practice before Friday’s Family Night at Lambeau Field, and while the workout was closed to the public, the media got a look at plenty. The team also confirmed that Family Night will stream on Packers.com for a second straight year, giving fans outside the market a chance to watch before the preseason begins.
If you want a preview of the starting groups, Family Night may be the best window you get. Green Bay has been careful with its starters in recent preseasons, and Jacobs logged just two snaps in the 2025 preseason.
The injury list stayed largely unchanged. Chris Brooks remains on the non-football injury list with a hamstring issue suffered away from the facility, while Luke Musgrave (neck), Javon Hargrave (knee), Jordon Riley (Achilles), Micah Parsons (knee) and Matt Orzech (calf) are still on the physically unable to perform list.
The Packers have previously described Orzech’s and Hargrave’s injuries as short-term, and Matt LaFleur said Thursday that he hopes Brooks is back “sooner rather than later.” Musgrave’s neck injury appears to be the only major new issue on the roster beyond the holdovers from 2025.
Jacobs wasn’t the only starter out. Cornerback Carrington Valentine also sat with a hamstring injury, and safety/slot defender Johnathan Baldwin missed practice with a knee problem. Baldwin had been working as the backup slot defender in camp, even though the third-string role behind Javon Bullard and cap casualty Nate Hobbs had belonged to Kitan Oladapo in 2025.
Up front, the Packers kept shuffling bodies because Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele are still out of team drills. Jacob Monk and Darian Kinnard have usually filled in at left guard and right tackle, but Thursday brought a different look: Anthony Belton spent a lot of time at right tackle, rookie Jager Burton stepped into the open guard spot, and Donovan Jennings also mixed in with the first unit at guard.
That makes the offensive line picture a little clearer, at least for now. Kinnard, Monk, Burton and Jennings appear to be the sixth through ninth linemen in some order, with Green Bay likely keeping 10 offensive linemen.
One more spot could still be in play, and John Williams is a name to watch there. The second-year draft pick missed his rookie season with a back injury, and he’s been working at every spot on the line.
The wrinkle is obvious: if this is the backup group, Kinnard is the only true tackle among them, which helps explain why Belton is getting tackle reps while Bako-Bewele remains out. If injuries pile up at tackle, Belton looks like the next option.
Anthony Campbell kept adding to his own camp resume. With Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt not in team drills, Campbell has moved into second-team work and continued making plays.
He’s picked off several pass breakups in camp and has “sacked” Tyrod Taylor multiple times. That puts him in the mix for the sixth and likely final defensive line spot, where he’s trying to push Nazir Stackhouse.
Hargrave, Wyatt, Chris McClellan, Warren Brinson and Karl Brooks are viewed as roster locks.
There was a little edge in practice, too. Bullard delivered a hard hit on tight end Josh Whyle, which naturally set off some frustration on the offensive side given how thin Green Bay is at tight end. Bullard apologized and the moment passed without further trouble, and there still haven’t been any fights in camp.
On the special teams side, Brian Gutekunst made a point of praising Skyy Moore on Thursday, saying he “expects” Moore to help the team in 2026. That matters when you start sorting out the roster.
During kick return work, the Packers rotated Bo Melton, J. Michael Sturdivant, Will Sheppard, Moore, Pierre Strong Jr. and Jaden Nixon through the return group.
Savion Williams was briefly checked by the medical staff, though he later returned. Williams was Green Bay’s preferred kick returner in the regular season last year, while Jacobs and Keisean Nixon handled those duties in the postseason.
Jacobs and Nixon have also been working on kickoff returns in camp, but that doesn’t mean Green Bay is about to hand them those jobs again in the 2026 postseason.
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That is where the leagues roster churn could matter, with a few potentially useful options set to hit the market as teams trim down. Tanner Hudson and Trey Benson are among the players who could end up available, while Emanuel Wilson remains part of the Packers own conversation as they weigh how much stability they have at running back. Nothing is locked in yet, but the next few days could determine whether Green Bay fills those holes from its current group or waits for a post-cutdown opening to present itself. [Read more 🡒]