MarShawn Lloyd is set to play Thursday night when the Packers open the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving Green Bay its first live look at a running back whose career has barely started and already has been interrupted by injuries.
That is the immediate reason Lloyd is back in focus now. He has appeared in only 1 regular season game since being drafted in 2024, and a recurring hamstring injury wiped out his 2025 season, leaving the Packers with little game tape and plenty of questions about what they really have. The preseason opener will not answer everything, but it will show whether he can carry the burst that has flashed in camp into a game that counts for evaluation, even if it does not count in the standings.
There have been signs that the talent is still there. Packers.com reported in July that Lloyd had avoided setbacks after working with a California sports specialist, and that he had rediscovered the burst and one-cut explosiveness that first drew pro scouts to him. Those reports fit with what happened on Aug. 6, when Josh Jacobs was sidelined and Lloyd worked with the first-team offense, scored twice, and then had to be admonished after celebrating with a backflip.
That practice cameo was enough to sharpen the old question around him. Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated put it plainly: How good is he? It is not a question about effort or flashes. It is a question about whether the Packers can count on Lloyd when the speed changes, the contact gets real and the reps are no longer controlled.
Adam Stenavich has already said Lloyd will play in the preseason, and that makes Thursday night more than a tune-up for the Packers and MarShawn Lloyd. The team wants a live-tackle answer on a back who has looked encouraging in camp but has not stayed on the field long enough to settle the debate. If Lloyd gets through the preseason opener healthy, it would be the clearest sign yet that Green Bay can start treating him as more than a promising talent still waiting to become a reliable one.
MarShawn Lloyd flashes as Packers evaluate backs with Josh Jacobs sidelined
