Finally Healthy, Marshawn Lloyd’s ‘What’s-Next Mentality’ Shifts

Eighteen offensive players were selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. None played fewer snaps than Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd.

Lloyd’s rookie season was filled with one calamity after another. He wound up playing 10 snaps in his one and only game.

“Last year was a learning experience,” Lloyd said at minicamp this week. “Just learn from my mistakes and just getting better each and every day. I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing. I believe everything happens for a reason. So, it definitely grew me up in a way.”

Lloyd’s rookie season was thrown for one loss after another. First, he sustained a hip injury before the first full-squad practice of training camp. Next, he suffered a hamstring injury during his only preseason appearance. Lloyd made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Colts, only to go down with an ankle injury after getting the ball seven times in 10 snaps.

That injury led to a lengthy stint on injured reserve. As he was nearing his return, his stomach was “hurting a little weird” at practice, he recalled. When it didn’t feel right the next day, he went to the training staff. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed an appendectomy.

Lloyd tried to make the best out of a bad situation.

“When I got the appendicitis, it’s just like, what’s next?” Lloyd said. “What’s-next mentality, and you got to have that. Something bad happens, just got to have the what’s-next mentality. What you can do to get better? Yeah, I was hurt, but what can you do to get better mentally and do better with my plays? So, I used that time to really get deep into the plays where they know my playbook, so when it’s my time, it’s my time.”

He hoped his time would arrive at the end of the season. Instead, he sustained another hamstring injury.

The injury ended the season and essentially started the next. Before the playoff loss at the Eagles, Lloyd had already met with specialists at the University of Wisconsin to get a handle on his hamstring problem. Those same specialists had success helping Christian Watson and Eric Stokes deal with similar issues.

“I’m built a little different,” Lloyd said. “I got to know what exercises to do. Everyone’s different. Some people (are) strong on one side, stronger the other side. You got to do whatever you got to do to get everything pretty even.”

That asymmetry is something Watson referenced last year. When one muscle is stronger than the other, it can lead to recurring problems.

“I’m just an explosive guy, the things I do,” Lloyd said. “I’ve had injuries before, but it’s just something that I got to build back up.”

As it turns out, the Packers didn’t really need Lloyd. Josh Jacobs had a tremendous season, carrying the load in a tackle-breaking debut campaign. The backups, Emanuel Wilson, who rushed for 502 yards, and Chris Brooks, combined to average 4.93 yards per carry.

However, as Lloyd put it, he’s built different. At 5-foot-8 3/4 and 220 pounds with 4.48 speed, his blend of speed and power made him a big-play performer at USC. He could add that same sort of dynamic in support of Jacobs.

“Obviously, we’ve got a lot of high expectations for him because he brings a different blend to our offense just with his speed and quickness,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said.

Lloyd sat out Week 1 of OTAs but was on the field for Week 2 of OTAs as well as minicamp.

“He’s different in a lot of ways from some of the other guys,” coach Matt LaFleur said last week. “He definitely has some great explosiveness and could be a really valuable weapon out of the backfield, I think. We saw that when he was healthy. … He spent the majority of his offseason here, and he’s been at a much better place right now. I’m excited for him but, ultimately, he’s got to prove it.”

While Lloyd barely played as a rookie, he said he knows the playbook “like my name on the back of my shirt.” Having turned the page from a challenging season, Lloyd said he’s “super-excited” about the upcoming season.

A “what’s-next mentality” helped Lloyd get through a trying rookie season. Now, he’s eager to show what’s next in his career.

“I play football. I’m very comfortable with everything I can do,” he said. “I’m not really trying to prove anything to anybody. I know what I can do and, if you’re watching, you’re watching.”