With Josh Jacobs aging and the depth chart thin, the Green Bay Packers are betting on MarShawn Lloyd’s explosive versatility and reconstructed health to transform their 2026 backfield.
The Green Bay Packers came into the 2026 NFL Draft with a need at backup running back.
It wasn't a massive need, like the one at corner of on the defensive line, but it was a need.
It was also a need they could have addressed in free agency. Instead, they let a solid RB2 in Emanuel Wilson walk. He's now with the Seattle Seahawks. They also haven't yet picked up a running back in the post-draft free agency period.
So yes, RB2 is still a need, and yet, the Packers don't seem all to worried about addressing it.
Why is that?
They did re-sign running back Chris Brooks this offseason, giving him a two-year, $4.8 million deal. Brooks is as steady as they come as a back-of-the-roster player and special teamer, but a steady RB2 he is not. He's rushed just 82 times for 395 yards and one touchdown in three seasons after the Packers picked him up as an undrafted free agent.
Admittedly, Brooks is a good pass-blocker, but he's not a RB2 for a Super Bowl team.
So, what is the Packers' plan behind Josh Jacobs?
Heck, Jacos is an All-Pro when he's healthy, but he was banged up a bunch last season, and he does have a concerning injury history. He also just turned 28.
Perhaps it's foolhardy. Perhaps it's genius. Either way, the Packers seem to think they have their answer at RB2 in MarShawn Lloyd, who they selected out of USC in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Lloyd has played in just one regular-season game as a pro. He's injury-prone, to say the least, but the Packers clearly have confidence in him and his rehab process.
"He talked about how much stronger he is just in his lower half of his body. Stronger than he's ever been," running backs coach Ben Sirmans recently said of Lloyd, via Packers.com. "So with all those things, it's giving him confidence and he's got a regimen that he does before we even go out to practice. We're very optimistic, but we've all been optimistic before, so we just gotta wait and see what's going to happen. But he feels confident, I feel confident that he's finally gotten to that point where he can be in there and be ready to play a full season."
If Lloyd plays a full season, it's worth noting that he seemingly has "the goods" to be an impact player as a backup. He was a twitchy athlete at USC who made plays as both a runner and a pass-catcher out of the backfield for the Trojans.
He rushed for 820 yards and nine touchdowns for USC in 2023 while adding 13 catches for 232 yards through the air -- an average of 17.8 yards per catch.
When Lloyd has gotten chances with the Packers, even in the preseason, he's done things like this:
Or this:
It would be great if he could play the entirety of the 2026 season for Green Bay and add a spark for the offense. It would also be a bit of a miracle, though.
Since becoming a pro, he's dealt with hip, hamstring, ankle, groin and calf injuries. He also had an appendix burst which required surgery.
In that way, Lloyd is an X-factor for the Packers heading into 2026. If he plays, he can absolutely help this team in a lot of ways. If not, Green Bay may have some major question marks at RB2 -- and that's not a great feeling when you're in a Super Bowl window.
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