Green Bay’s backfield suddenly belongs to MarShawn Lloyd, and the timing could not be more dramatic.
A third-round pick in 2024, Lloyd has spent much of his NFL start stuck behind injuries and a crowded running back room, which limited him to just six carries in the pros so far. But with Josh Jacobs placed on the NFL Commissioner's Exempt List while facing two misdemeanor charges tied to a domestic incident, Lloyd has been pushed into the Packers’ starting job to open the 2026 NFL season.
That’s a massive leap for a player who has barely had a chance to settle in. Now he’s being asked to function as a bellcow for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, and the spotlight on him is only getting brighter. In fantasy circles, he’s already climbing fast, especially with only Kaleb Johnson, coming off a rough rookie year in Pittsburgh, and Chris Brooks, who was viewed more as a pass-catching, blocking back, on the active roster behind him.
For Green Bay, the move says plenty about how the team views Lloyd. The Packers are clearly willing to trust him in a major role, and that trust comes with real pressure attached.
This season may end up being the clearest test yet of Lloyd’s future in Green Bay and in the league overall. He has one year left on his contract after this season, and his first few years haven’t delivered much in the box score.
Still, the talent has always been there. Lloyd has shown the kind of shiftiness and burst that can change a game, and his junior season at USC offered a glimpse of that upside: 1,052 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games.
Even if Jacobs returns this year, Lloyd would still appear set for a meaningful role as the 1B or second option. But if he turns this expanded opportunity into a breakout, Green Bay could start to imagine life beyond Jacobs entirely and hand Lloyd the job moving forward.
That possibility fits the Packers’ usual approach. They like drafting and developing their own players, which is why the Jacobs move carried so much weight in the first place.
Jacobs has produced when available, but he has not matched the level he reached as a 2,000-plus-yard runner with the Raiders. And if he is convicted, or if more damaging evidence becomes public, the Packers would likely have to move on anyway.
So this is the moment Lloyd has been waiting for. The opportunity is real, the stakes are high, and now the only question left is whether he can make it count.
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Packers Emergency Running Back Plan Is Already Drawing The Wrong Debate
When Josh Jacobs landed on the Commissioners Exempt List, Green Bay had to move quickly to stabilize the backfield, and the front office settled on Kaleb Johnson, acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the kind of emergency swing teams make when the season is already moving, with the Packers needing a back who could step in and help absorb snaps while the situation around Jacobs plays out.
The wrinkle is that Johnson was not the only name under consideration. Tyrone Tracy Jr. of the New York Giants was viewed as a possible alternative, but he stayed put after a late preseason performance that helped cement his spot. Tracy also dealt with a minor injury in a recent game before returning to the sideline, while Johnson arrives in Green Bay with limited NFL experience and production, which has already pushed the conversation toward what the Packers might have preferred instead of the player they actually got. [Read more 🡒]