'Yeet Cannon' MarShawn Lloyd Excited for Healthy Breakout Season With Packers

Jordan Love spilled the beans to reporters on MarShawn Lloyd’s nickname.

As it turns out, he spilled them to Lloyd’s girlfriend, too.

Asked if he’s gotten his hopes up for Lloyd following two injury-ruined seasons, Love last week at minicamp said:

“You always feel that way, since MarShawn’s gotten here. We all know that he’s a little yeet cannon, is what we like to call him.”

Later that day, Lloyd got a text from his girlfriend.

“She was like, ‘Love you, Yeet Cannon,’” Lloyd said at the conclusion of minicamp on Thursday. “I was still here. And I’m like, ‘Where’d you hear that from?’ She was like, ‘Jordan said something about it.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, man.’”

OK, first of all, what is yeet?

“I honestly do not know,” Lloyd said. “Adam Stenavich, our (offensive coordinator), he came up with yeet. That’s like our thing. And then they called me like a yeet and then a cannon, I guess, just because I’m explosive.”

In October 2019, which was Matt LaFleur’s first season as coach, then-offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wore a T-shirt reading “Yeet” to a press conference. He defined yeet as an “expression of excitement.”

The word has stuck around through numerous changes to LaFleur’s staff over the years.

“I think coach Matt LaFleur might have said it in a team meeting,” Lloyd said. “And then just from there, they’ve been saying that, which is funny. Funny that Jordan put it out there.”

As you might expect, the nickname caught on among players and staff.

Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd (32) greets quarterback Kyron Drones. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Well, honestly, now a lot of people around the building call me that, especially like Lucas Havrisik,” Lloyd said. “Every time he sees me, he’s like, ‘Yeet Cannon. Yeet Cannon.’ It’s funny hearing that.”

These have been good times for Lloyd following a painful and frustrating first two seasons in the NFL. A third-round pick in 2024, Lloyd’s history has been well established. He played in one game as a rookie and zero games last season due to a long list of injuries and setbacks.

However, he participated in all nine practices during OTAs and the minicamp this year. He was all systems go at last week’s minicamp, with a full workload alongside Josh Jacobs, Chris Brooks and the rest of the No. 1 offense.

“This is my first since I’ve been here – my first time that I went through OTAs fully healthy,” he said. “That’s a big accomplishment. Coming in my rookie year when I did OTAs, battled a little bit of stuff. Last year, I battled a little bit of stuff throughout the OTAs and didn’t really get reps. This year, I was able to actually finally work out the whole time, took no days off. It was pretty good. Really, really good.”

While on injured reserve last season with a hamstring injury, Lloyd met with Dr. John Meyer of the Meyer Institute of Sport in El Segundo, Calif. At the end of the season, he worked daily with Meyer, the chairman of performance, health and wellness for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the director of player health and performance for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, until he returned to Green Bay in April for the start of offseason workouts.

That work paid off when Lloyd got through OTAs and last week’s minicamp with no issues.

“Especially going out there and being in football drills,” he said. “That was the biggest thing. I could work out all day, but being in football drills, making cuts off of people, running, getting back into it, that was great.”

Now, there’s real confidence, rather than just wishful thinking, that Lloyd will be a factor this season.

“He’s very explosive, and he does some really good things,” Love said “He’s just one of those guys that’s kind of just got that freaky, twitch ability that is just God given. So, it’s definitely something that you catch yourself watching him practice. We watched him in some of the preseason games last year and you get excited.

“So, I think for him it’s just trying to find ways to stay healthy and be able to be available and get out there on the field and make it come to life, but I’m definitely excited for him to get his opportunity and kind of put the world on notice.”

Between now and the first practice of training camp on July 29, Lloyd said he was going to take about a week-and-a-half off to spend time with family. Otherwise, he’d be at Lambeau Field working out under the virtual supervision of Meyer. Tight end Tucker Kraft, who is coming back from a torn ACL, will be his workout partner.

Having played just 10 snaps in his NFL career, he’s excited to get to training camp and continue building. He’s also excited to take his foot off the gas for a moment.

“Honestly, I’m excited for the break. I need it,” he said. “I’ve been training and figuring things out nonstop. Even the offseason, there were times where a lot of people can get a break, but I was working. So, now, it’s like I finally get a time where I can take like a week off, get my body back under me, and then rebuild myself back up. So, I’m excited. It’s fun.”

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