When the Green Bay Packers released this year’s roster, they didn’t place rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd on IR, as many suspected they would. Instead, he made the 53 outright, and the team has listed him as RB2 behind Josh Jacobs. Lloyd is a powerhouse back out of USC, and he carried a lot of excitement into camp after the Packers took him in the third round. It wasn’t just the team; media and fantasy football analysts were instantly bullish on Lloyd’s ability to carve out an immediate role in Matt LaFleur’s offense, given he has consistently used multiple backs.
Lukewarm reports out of camp and a hamstring injury suffered during Green Bay’s first preseason game in Cleveland sent Lloyd’s stock plummeting. The hype train moved to A.J. Dillon after LaFleur said Dillon was in the best shape he’d ever seen him in. He also alluded to plans to use the big back in new ways this season. Fans started to recall Dillon’s rookie season, where he had a minimal role behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams despite coming in as a second-round pick. Dillon’s backup role began to cement itself during camp, and the general sentiment became that Lloyd was headed toward a similar redshirt-adjacent season in his rookie year.
When the 53 dropped, not only was Lloyd back in the mix, but Dillon was off the board entirely. The Packers placed the veteran on season-ending IR for a stinger in his neck. It’s an interesting choice, considering his standing. Dillon entered a crowded running back market on the downswing, expected to leave Green Bay after an inefficient season. His infectious personality and fan-favorite status didn’t keep the fanbase and media from criticizing him, and there was no public drumbeat to bring him back. However, the running back market led to a surprise return but with low enough guarantees to make him a legitimate cut candidate.
With Dillon out indefinitely and Lloyd carrying some ambiguity with his hamstring injury, Emanuel Wilson picked up steam. Wilson is a second-year back out of Fort Valley State, and he received carries in both playoff games at the end of last season. He has been a preseason mainstay. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich name-checked Wilson in a press conference this week when a reporter asked about Josh Jacobs’ workload. “Emanuel’s played,” he said, “so it’s not like we’re putting in a guy that hasn’t done anything.”
Lloyd has not done anything, which is notable from a coachspeak perspective.
Green Bay’s new depth chart places Lloyd above Wilson in the No. 2 spot. That’s notable because it speaks to his status as the handcuff with a contingent fantasy upside if anything happens to Jacobs. It likely has a standalone role to relieve him as well. After going undrafted in fantasy leagues and best ball tournaments for weeks, he has vaulted back into the fold. Lloyd’s reclaimed standing gives him a legitimate chance to be relevant on the field and in fantasy. Wilson’s role will likely be tertiary to begin the season unless Lloyd misses time or it takes a couple of weeks to ramp up. If Jacobs goes down, he would likely share the backfield with Lloyd.
A big driver of Lloyd’s hype train earlier in the offseason was how LaFleur utilized his backs. Aaron Jones was the clear No. 1, but he never carried the type of bell-cow workload that the likes of Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Jacobs have for their teams. Having missed significant time in five of seven seasons, Jones’ injury history and relatively small size led to a near-split with Dillon over the past few seasons. Many interpreted it as a characteristic of LaFleur’s play-calling, but all indications suggest the Packers brought in Jacobs, 26, to run the show. We don’t know how big of a niche Lloyd can carve out for himself, but he’s suddenly back in a position to have the opportunity to play a significant role in the upcoming season.
