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Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Green Bay Packers have officially shut down one of their running backs for the rest of the 2025 season ahead of Week 16’s game with the Chicago Bears.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire, the Packers placed running back MarShawn Lloyd on the injured reserve list again on Friday, December 19, making the move just two days after they activated him from IR for the first time this season.
Lloyd had landed on IR with a return designation during the 53-man roster cutdown on August 26 after injuring his hamstring in the Packers’ second preseason game, forcing the 2024 third-round pick to devote most of the past few months to his rehabilitation.
On December 1, the Packers opened Lloyd’s 21-day practice window to start ramping him back up to potentially rejoin the active roster for the final stretch, but his attempted return hit a snag when he sustained a second hamstring injury at practice in Week 15.
Now, Lloyd must miss the last three games of the regular season and at least one playoff game before he can become eligible to return to the Packers’ active roster, though, at this point, it is unclear whether he will attempt another comeback before next season.
The Packers (9-4-1) will take on the Bears (10-4) at Soldier Field at 8:20 p.m. ET on December 20 for a special Saturday Night Football prime-time event.
Packers Seeking Answers for MarShawn Lloyd’s Injuries
The Packers had high hopes for Lloyd when they selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, envisioning him as an effective change-of-pace playmaker for their running back rotation behind veteran Josh Jacobs, whom they had only just signed.
Soft-tissue injuries have led to a failure to launch for Lloyd, though. He has dealt with calf and hamstring issues in 2025, but he also faced multiple injuries and a tussle with appendicitis in 2024. When his second season ends, he will have played just one career regular-season game, recording six carries for 15 yards in the lone appearance.
As you can probably imagine, the Packers and Lloyd both are seeking some answers.
“It’s very, very, very unfortunate,” LaFleur said on December 17. “This guy has worked his a** off to battle back, and to be in that spot again, what do you say to him? We’ll continue to investigate and try to figure out why this keeps occurring, but it’s certainly unfortunate. I feel bad, I really do. I feel extremely bad for MarShawn.”
Packers Also Activate Brenton Cox Jr. for Bears Game
While the Packers may have formally shut down Lloyd, his placement on the injury list is not the only last-minute move that the team made before their rematch in Chicago.
The Packers also activated defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. from injured reserve, paving the way for him to play against the Bears on Saturday in what would be his first game since he injured his groin in Week 1’s season opener against the Detroit Lions.
Cox had been nearing the end of his 21-day activation window, as the team had opened it on December 1 along with Lloyd and rookie defensive lineman Collin Oliver. Now, he will rejoin the 53-man roster looking to bolster the team’s edge-rushing group after the Packers lost All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to a season-ending injury in Week 15.
As for Oliver, the Packers did not activate him from injured reserve and downgraded him to out on their injury report for Week 16’s game against the Bears; however, his 21-day activation window will not close until Monday, so he can still return this season.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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