Just as second-year running back MarShawn Lloyd appeared to be nearing his return, he has suffered another setback that could end his season.

The Green Bay Packers opened Lloyd’s 21-day return window at the start of the month, with the 2024 third-round draft choice ramping up his recovery on the practice field. He remained on the injury report due to a calf injury, but all signs pointed in the right direction.

However, after being a limited participant during the Packers’ practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, he sat out on Friday due to a new hamstring injury. The team has ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, and with his return window closing, one has to wonder if any hopes of a 2025 return have now ended.

MarShawn Lloyd’s latest injury setback could cost him the remainder of the 2025 season

It’s unfortunate. It truly is. Lloyd has so much talent and the potential to make a significant impact in Green Bay’s offense, but injuries have derailed his first two seasons in the league.

Lloyd missed almost his entire rookie year due to ankle and hamstring injuries. He also suffered appendicitis, which effectively ended any hopes of a return late in the season.

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He again battled injuries throughout the summer, and after impressing in the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Lloyd suffered another hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve. The Packers hoped to get him back late in the season, but it would appear he’s suffered a setback.

It’s heartbreaking. The best move is likely to shut him down for the year to focus on finding a solution in the offseason.

In November, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Packers believe Lloyd’s soft-tissue issues could relate to a knee injury he suffered in college.

“The Packers still have high hopes for Lloyd but until he can overcome the soft-tissue injuries that have plagued his short career, he’s not going to get on the field,” Silverstein wrote. “Lloyd has met with more specialists to help figure out imbalances in his body that may be causing the hamstring and groin injuries that have sidelined him. It may all stem from a knee injury he suffered in college.”

Also in November, head coach Matt LaFleur said the team had sent Lloyd to California to “get his body right.”

The Packers have a little over a week to activate Lloyd from injured reserve, or he will be out for the remainder of the season. With a new hamstring injury causing him to miss practice, it now seems highly unlikely we will see him again in 2025.

Having featured in only one game since the Packers drafted him in the third round in April 2024, the number one priority needs to be finding the root cause of his awful injury luck and trying to find a solution.

It’s disappointing for the Packers, of course, but it’s truly heartbreaking for Lloyd. Hopefully, he can bounce back with a big year in 2026.