Packers Fan Q&A, Including ‘Legitimate Breakout’ by MarShawn Lloyd

You got questions. We got answers.

With about one month until the start of Green Bay Packers training camp, here is the debut of our weekly question-and-answer story. Perhaps because I posted a MarShawn Lloyd video in the initial call for questions, there was quite a bit of interest in the third-year running back.

Do YOU personally Bill think this year is different for him? Are you expecting a legitimate breakout?
— Jimothyschrute (@FewWordsDoTrik) June 27, 2026

Do YOU personally Bill think this year is different for him? Are you expecting a legitimate breakout?

Thanks for the question – one of a few sharing the same train of thought.

Yes, I do think this year will be different. He practiced every day during the spring. Obviously, a Tuesday in June isn’t the same as a Tuesday during training camp or a Sunday during the regular season, but, as the saying goes, a journey of a million miles starts with the first step. Being available for OTAs and minicamp is a really big first step that even Lloyd pointed out.

If I’m modestly confident in this year being different for Lloyd, I’m less confident about it being a breakout year. Really, who knows? The sample size is so ridiculously small that I haven’t the faintest idea. He looks great going through drills, but I’d be lying to you if I knew what that meant in terms of running through or around a linebacker.

I do recall coming out of USC in 2023 that Lloyd had a fumble problem. In three college seasons, he fumbled eight times on runs and one time after a catch, according to Pro Football Focus. For any player, his greatest ability is his availability. For a running back, his second-greatest ability is ball security. Even if he’s healthy, Lloyd can’t be on the field if he can’t hold onto the ball.

Here’s another on Lloyd.

If Lloyd actually performs as everyone expected him to post draft, is he the starter in 2027?
— Alex 👹 (@Alex_Steger_) June 27, 2026

If Lloyd actually performs as everyone expected him to post draft, is he the starter in 2027?

That’s a great question, and one I hadn’t considered for even a second until now. Obviously, when the Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a four-year contract worth $48 million in free agency in 2024 and then doubled down by drafting Lloyd in the third round, that would have been the logical prediction.

Jacobs isn’t getting any younger. Or less expensive. His base salary for 2027 is $12.2 million. Salary-cap gymnastics can take care of some of that, but the organization might prefer to hand the baton to Lloyd.

So, how about this: I’d give Lloyd a 35 percent chance to be the Week 1 starter in 2026, a 30 percent chance for it being Jacobs, a 20 percent chance for it being Chris Brooks and a 15 percent chance for it being a rookie or some other low-level veteran.

Sticking in the backfield ...

How do you think the Packers handle the Jacobs situation in regards to media availability seeing he is one of the team leaders? Is he off limits until the DA makes a decision? I always enjoyed his interviews and insight on Lloyd.
— Jen W (@JenW12279) June 27, 2026

How do you think the Packers handle the Jacobs situation in regards to media availability seeing he is one of the team leaders? Is he off limits until the DA makes a decision? I always enjoyed his interviews and insight on Lloyd.

If I had to bet a dollar, Jacobs will address reporters on the first day of training camp with a prepared statement saying that he’s innocent of all charges and that will be his only comment about it until the legal status is settled.

I agree with you on his interviews. He’s a go-to, for sure. Obviously, I have no idea what happened that day. The police are being tight-lipped about it, as they should be. The news caught me completely off-guard, which is a reminder of what I’ve said for years: We don’t know the players. We never will know the players.

Speaking of Jacobs …

So what is happening with Josh Jacobs and his legal issues
— Brett the Packer Fan (@Brettnotatwork) June 27, 2026

So, what is happening with Josh Jacobs and his legal issues?

I have no idea. Like I said a moment ago, investigators aren’t talking.

What I would say is the Packers probably have a good idea of what happened/what didn’t happen. Would they have allowed him back on the practice field if there was some sort of damning evidence?

It’s at least interesting to consider that former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott faced domestic-violence allegations in July 2016. Chargers were not filed due to “conflicting and inconsistent information.” The NFL suspended Elliott for six games, anyway, but not until August 2017.

So, it’s possible whatever the league decides to do won’t happen until next season, at which point Lloyd will be anointed RB1.

Moving onto a few other topics:

Do you think the passing game will actually benefit from fewer primary wide outs in the rotation?
— Sarah's husband (@rece2000) June 27, 2026

Do you think the passing game will actually benefit from fewer primary wideouts in the rotation?

How’s this for a copout answer: Yes. And maybe not.

I love what the trio of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden can do together. Watson, of course, is a premier big-play threat. The run game, however, was 0.80 yards per play better when he was on the field. That’s incredible and shows what a difference-maker he’s become. I mentioned the other day that Reed during his three-year career has the best passer rating in the NFL when targeted. And, obviously, it’s time for Golden to be a big part of the offense.

The problem, though, is the Packers are counting on receivers with injury histories to not be injured. There’s no proven depth. Beyond the Big Three, the other seven receivers combined for 19 catches last season.

From that perspective, the development of Savion Williams might be the biggest priority of training camp and the preseason. Even if Watson, Reed and Golden are healthy all season, they’ll need a break. Ideally, the player entering the lineup will be capable of making a play.

Given the lack of blocking tight ends on the roster, are they looking to bring back John FitzPatrick when he's recovered?
— columnistmike (@columnistmike) June 27, 2026

Given the lack of blocking tight ends on the roster, are they looking to bring back John FitzPatrick when he's recovered?

It’s a huge hole in the lineup, Mike. The Packers have Messiah Swinson and Luke Lachey on the training camp roster. Blocking is the strength of their games, but are they big enough and strong enough to get movement on third-and-1?

The recovery from Achilles injuries depends on the location of the tear. So, just because George Kittle will be ready for Week 1 doesn’t mean FitzPatrick will be ready to start the season, as well. I’d think the Packers will monitor his recovery in case the young guys can’t get it done.

Does getting Franklin mean Hopper is a disappointment? I was hoping they would take Payton Wilson, who went one pick later and despite his college injury history has played very well.
— PackerJack777 (@PackerJack777) June 27, 2026

Does getting Franklin mean Hopper is a disappointment? I was hoping they would take Payton Wilson, who went one pick later and despite his college injury history has played very well.

I wrote exactly that when Zaire Franklin was added. The draft-and-develop Packers, generally speaking, would have drafted Ty’Ron Hopper and developed Hopper so he’d be ready to replace Quay Walker. Instead, they traded a young defensive tackle who was their best run-defending lineman for a 30-year-old linebacker coming off a (relatively) down season.

So, I’m not sure there’s any other way to view it than the way you did, other than Gutekunst considers Hopper an ascending player but wanted to give Edgerrin Cooper a veteran sidekick to maximize the talent on what he considers a roster good enough to win it all.

Anthony Belton. Was he largely guard or was he rotating at Tackle too? How has he looked?
— 🧀🏈 (@15Four12) June 27, 2026

Anthony Belton. Was he largely guard or was he rotating at Tackle too? How has he looked?

We got to see five practices. For a portion of one, the coaches went with Belton at right tackle, Darian Kinnard at left tackle and Jager Burton at Belton’s spot at right guard. The other four days, Belton was anchored at right guard.

How has he looked? I’m not going to lie to you: I have no idea. Never mind that it’s foolhardy to put too much assessment into offensive line play during noncontact practices, but it’s really hard to see through the mass of humanity to look at the center and guards when watching at ground level. Unless a guard makes an obvious good block (in space against a linebacker, for instance) or gets beaten like a drum for a sack, it’s impossible to give a fair play-after-play judgement.

What is the number one concern going into camp this year in your opinion? Defensive back? Offensive line ? etc.
— Mark (@DUD6887) June 27, 2026

What is the number one concern going into camp this year in your opinion? Defensive back? Offensive line? etc.

Coaches like to view pass defense as a combination of rush and coverage. To me, that’s the No. 1 concern. Especially without Micah Parsons for the first however-many games, where will the pass rush come from, and will it be good enough to help a cornerback corps that, at the moment, doesn’t have a stopper?

Maybe the pass rush will pop with a healthy Devonte Wyatt, the addition of Javon Hargrave, the development of Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver and Brenton Cox, and the selection of Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Maybe enough of those players will come through to help the cornerbacks. Or, maybe second-round pick Brandon Cisse is so good that the coverage will improve enough to allow the pass rush to get home.

Or – and this is the doomsday scenario – Van Ness stalls again, Hargrave is toast, the young edge rushers aren’t good enough and the cornerbacks get destroyed by all the good quarterbacks and receivers on the schedule.

If it were me – and it’s not, obviously (which is quite obviously a good thing) – I’d split the first-team reps with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as one duo and Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste as the second duo – and see what happens.

Finally, here are the closing thoughts from an e-mail sent to me by Steve a few days ago.

It's been a long time since I was able to name at least five Packer players that have overachieved. For the most part, the Packers as a team underachieve. Maybe you know something that I don't know.

I agree, Steve. At the end of the season following that disaster in Chicago, I wrote that it was time for a new coach.

LaFleur was shellshocked after the game. He said his team was “disheveled” and lost “composure.” Those are damning things to say about the team you’re supposed to be leading. It’s one thing to get punched in the face by a team with superior players. It’s quite another to simultaneously kick yourself in the shins.

Every season opens with Super Bowl expectations. Every season ends in disappointment. It’s not all the fault of Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst. The Packers almost certainly would have gotten to the Super Bowl in 2020 had the stadium not been empty due to COVID and David Bakhtiari not torn his ACL. Who knows how last season would have ended had Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons not suffered torn ACLs.

But, to me, this is a franchise that’s spinning its wheels. The Packers have high-priced players (or will in the case of Kraft) at practically every position and yet seem to be going nowhere fast. The last four seasons, every other team in the NFC North has won the division at least once.

Maybe I’m stuck on how last season ended with five consecutive losses, and that Parsons is going to miss a big chunk of the season, but it seems to be an impossibly long list of things that have to go right in order for this year’s team to reach the Super Bowl.

Note: I want to hear from you. Hit me up on X or via e-mail at packwriter2002@yahoo.com and I’ll answer as many questions as possible for this weekly feature.

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