GREEN BAY, Wis. – Before practice on Friday, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked if there was a chance defensive end Brenton Cox or running back MarShawn Lloyd could be activated from injured reserve for Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos.
He paused for a moment, then said, “That remains to be seen.”
Perhaps the pause was for what he knew about Lloyd. The injury-plagued running back had another setback in what seems like a never-ending comeback. Listed on the injury report as limited participation with a calf injury on Wednesday and Thursday, Lloyd did not practice on Friday due to his hamstring and is out.
Among players on the 53-man roster, running back Josh Jacobs (knee) returned to practice on Friday as limited participation and is questionable. Also questionable are defensive end Lukas Van Ness (foot), linebacker Kristian Welch (concussion) and receiver Savion Williams (foot).
That the Packers will play the Bears for first place in the NFC North next week was not on LaFleur’s mind when it came to determining Jacobs’ status.
“I think right now, where we’re at, we’re not looking any further than the game in front of our face,” he said. “That’s where we’ll continue to keep the focus on this game.”
Van Ness has missed seven of the last eight games, including the last two following an abbreviated comeback against Minnesota. Williams, the rookie kickoff returner, has missed the last two games, as well. Welch suffered a concussion last week and remained in the protocol as of Friday morning.
All three were limited participation all week.
The Packers had 15 players on their injury report this week, including 12 players on the 53-man roster. Nickel Javon Bullard (ankle), defensive end Kingsley Enagbare (knee), receivers Matthew Golden (wrist), Jayden Reed (shoulder) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), and defensive tackle Jordon Riley (knee) were full participation on Friday and are off the injury report.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed catches a pass against the Bears. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Right tackle Zach Tom (back) was limited participation and is off the report, as well. He’s been superb despite not having a full-participation practice since before Week 1.
The three players who were designated for return from injured reserve last week, Lloyd and defensive ends Cox (groin) and Collin Oliver (hamstring), are out. Cox was full participation, though, so could be nearing his return following his Week 1 injury.
For the Broncos, rising rookie receiver Pat Bryant is out with a hamstring injury. Veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey was added to the injury report with a shoulder injury that kept him out of practice and has him questionable. He has allowed only one sack this season.
“We feel like if this was a playoff game, he’d be able to go,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said on Friday of Bryant. “Yet, in order to get them back to full strength, we feel like we’ve done the right thing this week.”
Denver released former Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis on Thursday but re-signed him to the practice squad on Friday.
Back to Lloyd, it wasn’t immediately known if it was a setback in the medical sense of the word in terms of it being a reinjury or whether he just had a bit of tightness so the team shut him down for the week.
Regardless, it’s obviously not good news for the talented player who simply can’t get healthy and stay healthy.
A third-round pick last year, Lloyd played in only one game as a rookie due to hip, hamstring and ankle injuries, an appendectomy and another hamstring issue. This preseason, he missed part of the early stages of training camp with a groin injury, then suffered a hamstring injury while extending to make a 33-yard catch in the preseason game in Indianapolis.
The Packers placed him on injured reserve, and that’s where he’s spent the entire season. He was designated for return last week and was limited participation with a calf injury, not the hamstring.
While on injured reserve, he met with a specialist in California and was confident he had found the answers to get him on the field.
“Definitely had to change a couple things and focus on something that was really important,” he said. “Our training staff and our organization, really for them to allow me to do that and do everything for me for that, it was amazing. So, I’m super-excited. Super-happy that they figured that out.”
The players were excited about what Lloyd could add, though at this point there’s probably no reason for the team to plan on him adding anything this season.
“That’s my guy,” Jacobs said this week. “I still ride with him every day to practice. We talk about everything, really. Life, everything. Yeah, man, MarShawn, he’s been practicing fast, he’s been going out there and you could tell he’s got them fresh legs out there running hard, and I can’t wait for him to get his turn and get his number called.
“I know he’s battled through a lot of things just leading up to this point but we all know who he is, and we know he’s a baller for real. We know he can add something to this team that we don’t have and we respect him and we love him, so we’re just wanting the best for him and hopefully he can get back out there.”
Lloyd, Cox and Oliver were designated for return on Dec. 1. The 21-day window will close after next week’s game against Chicago. At that point, the team will have to add them to the 53-man roster or shut them down for the year.
Here’s today’s #Packers practice update, which includes, with no exaggeration whatsoever, one of the most entertaining practice videos ever. ⬇️https://t.co/VxpkWm79BA
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 12, 2025Packers Final Injury Report
Out: DE Brenton Cox (groin), RB MarShawn Lloyd (calf), DE Collin Oliver (hamstring).
Questionable: RB Josh Jacobs (knee), DE Lukas Van Ness (foot), LB Kristian Welch (concussion), WR Savion Williams (foot).
Note: Lloyd, Oliver and Cox have been designated for return from injured reserve and are within their 21-day practice windows.
Broncos Final Injury Report
Out: WR Pat Bryant (hamstring), G Ben Powers (biceps).
Questionable: RT Mike McGlinchey (shoulder).
Note: Powers has been designated for return from injured reserve and is within his 21-day practice window.
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