Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd Unlikely To Play In 2025
3:46pm: Green Bay is activating Lloyd off injured reserve today, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. This is a procedural move, as the team will then place the running back on IR a second time due to the aforementioned hamstring aggravation. This would give the Packers the option to activate Lloyd after four games. Had they not done this, Lloyd’s initial IR-return window would have closed to end his season.
Lloyd already counts toward the team’s eight-activation total since he was designated for return August 26. As it stands, however, the second-year running back — who has proven to be incredibly injury-prone — is unlikely to be part of the Packers’ activation puzzle should they make the playoffs. The Pack still have five injury activations remaining.
11:58am: Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd has been on IR with a hamstring injury all season. The Packers opened his 21-day practice window on Dec. 1, but Lloyd recently suffered another hamstring injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Green Bay has just a few more days to activate Lloyd, whose chances of playing in 2025 may have “derailed,” Schefter notes. If so, it will end up as a lost season for Lloyd after he barely factored in as a rookie last year.
Lloyd impressed over three years between South Carolina and USC, leading the Packers to use a third-round pick on him in 2024. The idea was for the 5-foot-9, 220-pounder to immediately complement big-ticket free agent acquisition Josh Jacobs. Instead, multiple injuries and a bout of appendicitis limited Lloyd to one game last season.
With Lloyd largely unavailable a year ago, Emanuel Wilson emerged as a capable backup to Jacobs, who made his third Pro Bowl. That one-two punch remains in place. Jacobs leads the NFC with 13 rushing touchdowns and is just 110 yards away from hitting 1,000 for the fifth time in his career. Wilson has scored three times on the ground after doing so on four occasions last season.
Filling in for an injured Jacobs, Wilson hit the 100-yard mark (107 and two TDs on 28 carries) for the first time in his career in a win over the Vikings in Week 12. He has combined for just nine carries and 27 yards in three games since Jacobs returned, though, and Wilson’s YPC has fallen from 4.9 in 2024 to 3.9 this year.
Wilson has been less efficient in 2025, but he’ll continue as second in the Green Bay backfield pecking order as the 9-4-1 team gears up for a potential playoff run. Meanwhile, already almost halfway through his four-year rookie contract, Lloyd has tallied a meager 15 yards on six carries.
Packers Open Practice Window On RB MarShawn Lloyd, DE Brenton Cox, DE Collin Oliver
The Packers will soon be getting some reinforcement on both sides of the ball. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, running back MarShawn Lloyd and defensive end Brenton Cox had their practice windows opened today. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston adds that the team has also opened the practice window on defensive end Collin Oliver.
Lloyd landed on IR before the start of the 2025 season with a hamstring injury. The 2024 third-round pick also spent most of his rookie campaign on injured reserve, collecting 18 yards from scrimmage in a single appearance. Lloyd may have a tough time cracking Green Bay’s depth chart upon his return, as the team has relied on the trio of Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, and Chris Brooks in 2025.
Cox suffered a groin injury back in Week 1 that ended up shelving him for close to three months. The former UDFA hasn’t gotten a lot of run through his three seasons in Green Bay, although he did show some pass-rush prowess in 2024. Despite being limited to about a third of his team’s defensive snaps in seven games, Cox finished last season with four sacks.
Oliver, a fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma State, has been sidelined since training camp with a hamstring injury that required surgery. The defensive lineman was a standout in the Big 12, earning three All-Conference shoutouts while tallying 40.5 sacks. He was limited to only a pair of games in 2024 that ultimately contributed to a falling draft stock. Considering his time off the field, Oliver likely won’t be counted on to contribute during the stretch run of the season.
The Packers will now have 21 days to activate any of these three players to the active roster.
Packers Notes: Reed, Cox, Lloyd, McManus
The Packers have gone most of the season without wide receiver Jayden Reed, who underwent clavicle and foot surgeries in mid-September. With the Packers off to a 5-2-1 start and leading the ultra-competitive NFC North, Reed could act as a second-half reinforcement for the team. Reed’s foot injury has fully healed, though his clavicle isn’t 100% yet, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Thanks in part to Reed’s three-catch, 45-yard, one-touchdown effort in Week 1, the Packers coasted to a 27-13 win over the division rival Lions. They’re due to face each other again on Thanksgiving. If Reed doesn’t return in Detroit, he should be back in Week 14 against another NFC North foe, Chicago, according to Silverstein. In the meantime, he’ll undergo weekly MRIs on his collarbone before the Packers’ medical staff clears him.
With Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Savion Williams, the Reed-less Packers still have a crowded receiving corps. Doubs is the only member of the group who has posted strong production over the entire season, though Watson has put up quality numbers in his first two games back from the torn ACL he suffered last year. Furthermore, quarterback Jordan Love lost one of his main targets, breakout tight end Tucker Kraft, to a season-ending ACL tear in a stunning home loss to Carolina last week. That’s all the more reason the Packers will gladly welcome back Reed, who averaged 60 catches, 825 yards, and seven TDs per year over his first two NFL seasons.
Like Reed, defensive end Brenton Cox is also trending toward a return, per Silverstein. Cox suffered a groin injury in Week 1, leading the Packers to place him on IR. They haven’t opened his 21-day practice window yet, but once they do, he shouldn’t require the full three weeks before reentering the Packers’ defensive mix. The third-year man totaled four sacks in just seven games in 2024. When healthy, he’ll add to Green Bay’s pass-rushing choices behind Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Kingsley Enagbare. Teams approached the Packers about their edge surplus before the Nov. 4 deadline, but they rebuffed those clubs, Silverstein reports.
While the news is positive with Reed and Cox, there doesn’t appear to be a return in sight for injured running back MarShawn Lloyd. A third-round pick from USC in 2024, Lloyd played just one game as a rookie on account of multiple ailments (including appendicitis). This season hasn’t gone any better for Lloyd, who has spent all of it on IR with hamstring and groin injuries.
Lloyd has visited specialists to get the bottom of his issues, which Silverstein writes may be the result of a knee injury he suffered in college. The Packers still have high hopes for the speedy Lloyd, who they hope will serve as a capable complement to Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson, but they’re leery of activating him until they’re sure he’s healthy.
Switching gears to special teams, kicker Brandon McManus has disappointed since re-signing with the Packers on a three-year, $15.3MM deal last offseason. After missing only one of his 21 field goal tries and knocking in all 30 extra points last year, McManus has gone 11 of 16 on FGs (a dismal 68.8%) and 15 of 16 on PATs this season. The 34-year-old, who injured his quad in October, has missed three game-tying or game-winning kicks. He failed to convert a 43-yarder in a three-point loss last week.
Despite McManus’ struggles, his job isn’t in jeopardy yet (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). While the Packers brought in Lucas Havrisik as insurance last month, head coach Matt LaFleur said that McManus will retain his position heading into a crucial game against the Eagles on Monday night.
Packers Make Cuts, Set Initial 53-Man Roster
The Packers announced their initial 53-man roster as well as the following transactions:
Released
- CB Corey Ballentine
- WR Mecole Hardman
- LB Isaiah Simmons
- LB Kristian Welch
Waived
- RB Isaiah Abanikanda
- DE Deslin Alexandre
- S Johnathan Baldwin
- OL Brant Banks
- LB Jaret Bartlett
- QB Sean Clifford
- OL Tyler Cooper
- RB Tyrion Davis-Price
- QB Taylor Elgersma
- DT James Ester
- CB Tyron Herring
- WR Julian Hicks
- OL Trey Hill
- RB Amar Johnson
- WR Cornelius Johnson
- LB Jamon Johnson
- CB Kalen King
- OL JJ Lippe
- LS Mark McNamee
- DE Arron Mosby
- WR Isaiah Neyor
- DT Devonte O’Malley
- WR Will Sheppard
- S Jaylin Simpson
- OL Lecitus Smith
- OL Kadeem Telfort
Placed on IR (designation to return)
- RB MarShawn Lloyd
- OL Jacob Monk
Placed on IR
Placed on reserve/PUP
- DE Collin Oliver
- WR Christian Watson
- OL John Williams
Despite his struggles to carve out a role in the NFL, Simmons made the 53-man roster in each of his first five seasons after the Cardinals selected him with the No. 8 pick in 2020. That streak has come to an end in Green Bay with his release today.
Alexandre is expected to return to the Packers’ practice squad if he clears waivers, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood, who places Banks in the same category.
Lloyd suffered a groin injury early in training camp and a hamstring injury more recently, which will land him on IR and sideline him for at least four weeks. Monk, though to be the team’s backup center, will also be out for a minimum of four weeks.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Smith
The competition between Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan had been tilted toward the incumbent, with GM Brian Gutekunst noting it would take quite the effort from the 2024 first-round pick for the Packers to make a change. It is becoming possible a change does happen, however. Walker has missed time due to a groin injury, and Morgan has benefited from increased LT work. Morgan, who missed 11 games last season, had recovered from shoulder surgery by the offseason program and has worked at left tackle — his college position — after being used primarily at guard (in a “best five” scenario) last year. Sean Rhyan has claimed Green Bay’s RG gig, leaving either Walker or Morgan set to ride the bench to open the year.
Gutekunst said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) Morgan has enjoyed “a good camp.” He has not allowed a QB pressure in 38 preseason snaps, per Pro Football Focus. It would be a significant setback for Walker to be demoted; the former seventh-round pick is in a contract year. (On the other hand, a first-round pick being unable to win a second-year job could sound alarm bells.) Green Bay’s Zach Tom extension, however, laid a path for Walker to leave as a free agent — and Morgan to replace him — in 2026. It is now possible the Packers start the transition early and go into the season with a 32-game starter on the bench.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- The Packers may see one of their draft choices start the season sidelined. Fourth-round defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell suffered an MCL sprain, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, but does not expect to miss more than a few weeks. This timetable could convince the Packers to keep him on their 53-man roster, leaving their two IR-return spots for others. If Sorrell lands on Green Bay’s IR before next week’s roster-setting deadline, he must miss at least four games and would count against the team’s injury activation total immediately.
- A player to potentially keep in mind regarding an IR-return spot, MarShawn Lloyd is dealing with another injury. Seeing his first game action since Week 2 of last season, Lloyd left the Packers’ second preseason contest with hamstring trouble, Schneidman adds. Matt LaFleur confirmed Lloyd — a 2024 third-round pick — will miss time. Hip and hamstring issues, primarily the latter, led the way in sidelining Lloyd for 16 games last season. He also navigated appendicitis during a lost rookie year. A groin injury also surfaced earlier during this year’s training camp. The Pack could stash Lloyd on IR to open the season, but at this point, concerns about the RB’s NFL dependability are probably warranted. Lloyd going on IR would allow the Packers to keep both Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks on their active roster, but his return (per Schneidman) would likely leave room for just one of them.
- Staying on the injury subject, the Bears have lost third-year cornerback Terell Smith for the season. The 2023 fifth-rounder suffered a patellar tendon tear in Chicago’s second preseason game, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reports. Smith (six career starts) joined Josh Blackwell as a possible second-string Bears CB. Following the upcoming IR move, the Bears have some other options — in veterans Tre Flowers, Nick McCloud and Nahshon Wright. Two seasons remain on Smith’s rookie contract.
- Sixth-round Lions rookie Ahmed Hassanein will miss extended time due to a pectoral injury, Dan Campbell said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett). The defensive end said on Instragram he would not need surgery, but this long of an absence could create a roster issue for the Lions. At best, Hassanein appears an IR stash.
- Given safety reps, Ya-Sin could also save the Lions a roster spot due to his extensive CB past. The second-rounder-turned-nomad is a roster lock, Birkett adds. Ya-Sin started a preseason game at safety, with The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy indeed listing the seventh-year vet on a projected 53-man roster.
Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd Is “Full Go”
After an extremely disappointing rookie season that saw him miss all but 10 offensive snaps, Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd is ready to make a comeback for his sophomore campaign. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, running backs coach Ben Sirmans told the media that “everything’s full go for (Lloyd)” at this point.
With last year’s offseason addition of veteran free agent running back Josh Jacobs, not much was going to be expected of Lloyd in the Packers offense, anyway. Jacobs rebounded from a down 2023 season with 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season in Green Bay. That didn’t mean there weren’t touches for other backs, though, as Emanuel Wilson was able to contribute 502 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, as well.
As a third-round pick out of USC, it was expected that Lloyd could have been that impactful RB2 for the Packers before injury and illness stole his season. He had experienced a similar disappointment as a five-star freshman at South Carolina, missing his first year due to a torn ACL. He was slowly worked back into the offense as a redshirt freshman and didn’t become a starter until 2022. Though he scored 11 touchdowns that year, he only racked up 573 rushing yards. He then transferred to joins the Trojans and, with only five more carries, was able to increase his rushing total to 820 yards with another nine touchdowns.
In the running backs room in Green Bay, neither Lloyd nor Wilson offer much physically different from Jacobs. All three rushers are around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds. There isn’t really a specialized scatback or short-yardage option or receiving back in the three. If all backs are fully healthy, though, Lloyd should hold the advantage to land a change-of-pace role over Wilson.
If Lloyd can establish himself as an impact performer in limited time, the Packers may feel comfortable moving on from Jacobs as they get into the later, more expensive, and cap-eating years of the veteran’s current contract. At this point, though, Jacobs has proven to be plenty worth his deal, and Lloyd has plenty to prove in his first healthy year in the NFL.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/25
Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: OLB DJ Johnson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: WR Kaden Davis, DT Michael Dwumfour, S Christopher Edmonds
- Placed on IR: RB Jerome Ford, TE David Njoku, RB Pierre Strong
- Elevated: CB Kahlef Hailassie, RB Jacob Kibodi
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: RB MarShawn Lloyd
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: DT Armon Watts
Johnson sustained a concussion in a car accident earlier this week, per ESPN’s David Newton. The 2023 third-round pick will miss the Panthers’ final regular season after 14 appearances (including two starts) this year.
The Browns added three more players to injured reserve before Saturday’s matchup with the Ravens, including their leading rusher in Ford and second-leading pass-catcher in Njoku. Those absences have extended Baltimore to 19.5-point favorites as they look to lock up the AFC North. Cleveland will finish the year with 23 players on IR, including key players like Deshaun Watson and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Packers Place Marshawn Lloyd On NFI List
The Packers have placed rookie running back Marshawn Lloyd on the Non-Football Injury list, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Lloyd had just returned to practice last week after spending several weeks on injured reserve due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. The third-round pick then fell ill with appendicitis, making it unlikely that he would be able to play when his 21-day practice window expired.
To avoid a reversion to season-ending injured reserve, the Packers activated Lloyd on Monday before moving him to the NFI list on Wednesday, where he can recover from his appendicitis and remain eligible to return this season without counting against the 53-man roster limit.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur last week when announcing Lloyd’s diagnosis, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. LaFleur had been encouraged by Lloyd’s progress since returning to practice, but will now have to wait before getting any contributions from the rookie this season.
Lloyd sat out of Week 1 with a hamstring injury, and his ankle and appendix have now combined to turn his rookie season into essentially a medical redshirt year. He managed just 15 yards on six rushing attempts in his NFL debut in Week 2, and will not play again until at least Week 16.
The Packers are 7-3 and locked in a pitched battle for the NFC North title. Josh Jacobs has excelled as Green Bay’s workhorse, ranking third in the NFL with 838 yards on 176 carries (4.8 yards per attempt), and second-year back Emanuel Wilson has also averaged 4.8 yards per carry in backup and change-of-pace duties. The success of that duo will be a clear obstacle to Lloyd earning rookie playing time upon his return.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/24
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: OT Charlie Heck
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Deion Jennings
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: QB Dak Prescott (story)
- Signed to active roster: DB Josh Butler
- Promoted: TE Princeton Fant, DB Kemon Hall
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from IR: RB MarShawn Lloyd
Houston Texans
- Promoted: DT Tommy Togiai
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: CB Alex Austin
- Waived: CB Marco Wilson
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: K Anders Carlson
- Waived: DL Bruce Hector
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: TE Tyler Mabry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to active roster: CB Troy Hill
- Waived: S Kaevon Merriweather
MarShawn Lloyd‘s path back to the Packers active roster has taken an unusual turn. The rookie third-round pick landed on IR in September with an ankle injury. He returned to practice last week but suffered appendicitis only a few days later, putting his activation within the 21-day window in doubt.
Worried that Lloyd wouldn’t be ready to play by his early-December activation deadline, the Packers consulted with the NFL about the best route forward (per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). That ultimately led to today’s transaction, which is only the start of several transactional machinations. As Tom Silverstein of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, Lloyd will temporarily join the active roster before landing on the non-football injury list. That means he won’t count against the team’s roster limit until he’s healthy enough to return to the field.
Lloyd doesn’t have a return timetable from this recent setback. While the rookie entered the year as the hopeful RB2 behind Josh Jacobs, there’s a good chance he’ll also behind Emanuel Wilson for the stretch run of the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/24
Here are today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Dallas Cowboys
- Reinstated from suspension: DE Sam Williams
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Abraham Beauplan
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return from injured reserve: RB Marshawn Lloyd
Houston Texans
- Reinstated from suspension, one-game roster exemption granted: DE Mario Edwards
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated from practice squad: DE Jonah Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated from practice squad: LS Tucker Addington, OT Jackson Carman
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster from practice squad: CB Josh Jobe
- Claimed off waivers: NT Brandon Pili
- Placed on injured reserve: S K’Von Wallace
Williams completed his three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He remains on injured reserve after a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp.
Edwards served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and is now eligible to be reinstated to the Texans’ active roster. Houston requested and received a one-game roster exemption to give Edwards an additional week to practice with the team before being added back to the 53-man roster.