Jordan Love isn’t sounding worried about Green Bay’s backfield shake-up.
With Josh Jacobs on the commissioner-exempt list and likely unavailable for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers are lining up MarShawn Lloyd for the start. Love said he believes Lloyd is ready to handle the opportunity.
“That’s what they brought you here to do is to go be the player that everybody knows you can be,” Love said, via Spectrum News. "And for him, it’s just obviously he hasn’t had the game reps that people might have seen.
But he’s been working. He’s been watching Josh.
He’s been in practice doing great things. So it’s just for him, just consistency, finding the consistency, staying healthy, going out there and making plays.”
Lloyd is embracing the chance. The Packers are coming off a loss to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round of the 2025 playoffs, and the running back made it clear he’s eager for whatever workload comes his way.
"I'm ready to play as much as they want me to play," Lloyd said. "I'm excited. It's a dream come true playing for the Packers, so however much carries I get, however much they put me in the game, I'm ready to go."
Lloyd has only one game of regular-season action in 2024 behind him, and it was a quiet one: 15 rushing yards on six carries, plus one catch for three yards.
Still, the Packers are hoping a bigger sample size brings out the player he showed at USC. In 2023, Lloyd ran for 820 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 carries while adding 13 receptions for 252 yards.
For Green Bay, though, this isn’t just about the backfield. Love also has to play at a high level after signing a four-year, $220 million deal with the team in 2024. That kind of contract comes with heavyweight expectations, and the Packers need him producing like a star.
In Other News...
Packers Quietly Added A Week 1 Name Fans Should Not Overlook
The Packers spent the final stretch before roster cutdown making the kind of moves that can shape the first month of a season just as much as the headlines from August. One of the quieter changes was the trade of backup quarterback Kyle McCord to Miami for a 2028 sixth-round pick, but the more relevant additions for Green Bay came on the field: veteran tight end Jonnu Smith, running back Kaleb Johnson and tight end Mark Redman all arrived with a chance to matter early.
Johnson is the name that stands out because the Packers may need him sooner than expected with Josh Jacobs still on the commissioner-exempt list. Redman is more of a developmental piece, still waiting for his first regular-season snap, but the depth chart now has a different look than it did a week ago. For a team trying to thread the needle between immediate help and longer-term value, these are the kinds of late roster additions that can quietly end up carrying real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Jacobs Update Could Change The Packers Opener Decision
Josh Jacobs legal situation has taken on added significance for the Packers because the calendar has moved up. His initial court appearance, originally set for Nov. 17, has been rescheduled for Sept. 10, a date that arrives much sooner and could force the issue while Green Bay is still trying to map out its early-season backfield plans. Jacobs is dealing with two misdemeanor charges, battery and criminal damage to property, and he remains on the NFL Commissioners Exempt List as the league continues its investigation.
For the Packers, the timing matters almost as much as the case itself. An earlier hearing creates a chance for the NFL to have more clarity before any long-range roster or playing-time decisions need to be locked in, including whatever the team is thinking about for the opener. The situation is still fluid, but the shift in court date could change the pace of everything around it, from the leagues discipline timeline to Green Bays planning for one of its most important offensive pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Finally Confront A Matthew Golden Problem Fans Saw Early
Brian Gutekunst did not spend much time dancing around the issue when he discussed Matthew Goldens rookie season. The Packers general manager acknowledged the wide receiver was underused, saying Golden simply did not get as many opportunities as he should have after drawing only 44 targets and finishing with 361 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Golden did show more impact late in the season, and Gutekunst pointed to a strong training camp as another reason for optimism heading into this year. For a player Green Bay clearly believes can do more, the real question is whether the offense will finally make good on that early promise and give him a larger role when it matters. [Read more 🡒]