GREEN BAY – A month ago, MarShawn Lloyd's focus was simply to get through training camp healthy to prepare himself for any amount of regular-season action that might come his way.
Now, with just six carries and one reception to his name as an NFL player, the third-year pro is quite likely heading into Week 1 as the Packers' feature running back.
It's quite the shift, brought on by Josh Jacobs landing on the commissioner's exempt list while his legal case remains under investigation by the league. But it's produced no change in the smiling, affable Lloyd, who has endured two seasons worth of frustrating injuries to get to this point without losing his positive spirit and upbeat demeanor.
"I trust in my ability," he said, describing his mental approach and how he'll keep his emotions in check as the 2026 opener grows closer. "Don't do too much, just be you. I think being me got me here.
"You can't make it bigger than what it is or you're going to make mistakes or you're going to do things trying to be someone (else). So I think the best thing for me is just to have fun with it. Have fun and enjoy myself."
It's not how Lloyd wanted this opportunity to arrive. He's grateful for all the support Jacobs showed him over the past two years, and he's returning that favor to someone he considers "a brother forever."
But being the sidekick means at some point it's time to step up as the main guy, whatever the circumstances.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst, who drafted Lloyd in the third round out of USC in 2024, declared him "as ready as he's ever been since he's been here" and lauded his steady improvement throughout training camp.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur echoed that, adding that his daily availability helped show a level of consistency to his game along with the flashes of eye-catching shiftiness and breakaway speed from his squat but powerful 5-9, 220-pound frame.
Now his steady presence must translate to steady production, as unclear as it is what size workload he can handle. On the one hand, his injury history would preach caution at the game's most brutal position, and he posted more than 15 carries in a game just three times in college.
On the other, for however long Jacobs is sidelined, the Packers are going to need whatever Lloyd can give them. Behind him is a third-down back in Chris Brooks, the newly arrived Kaleb Johnson, and potential practice-squad call-up Pierre Strong Jr.
"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."
He needed the preseason to knock some rust off, and it's probably not all gone. Over two games, he posted 10 carries for 30 yards.
In the second contest at Denver, he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass on a choice route out of the backfield, where he read the linebacker's leverage, cut to the inside, and found Jordan Love's pass right on him for the score.
Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle, though, remembering his first carry in the preseason opener in Pittsburgh, where the handoff exchange wasn't clean. Whether it was nerves or excitement at getting the ball in game action for the first time since the 2025 preseason, he needed to work through it.
"The very first play I kind of like stumbled (with) the ball," Lloyd said. "Me and Jordan noticed that and he was like, 'You good?' I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm good.' Then I got hit, so I'm like 'OK, it's football.' Once I got hit the first time, it was fine."
He's about to take a lot more hits in a little over a week, and no one's assuming all will go smoothly right out of the gate.
But however long it takes to settle in and find his groove, this is Lloyd's time to shine, and the Packers need him to.
"He's really eager," Gutekunst said. "He's a running back in the National Football League. To think he's not going to get dinged up and have to play through that would be naïve.
"I think his mind is right and he's ready to go. We're excited to see what he can do. Each week he can be out there, you're going to see a better and better MarShawn."
