Plan B for MarShawn Lloyd; More Chances for Chris Brooks

Appendicitis was the latest ailment for rookie running back Marshawn Lloyd. His frequent absences opened the door for sturdy Chris Brooks.

Green Bay Packers running back Chris Brooks (30) runs the ball against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. / David Banks-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers were ready to unleash rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd.

Instead, it will be back to Plan B. The old, familiar Plan B.

After missing seven games with an ankle injury, the Packers were ready to activate Lloyd for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Instead, as he was getting ready for Friday’s practice, he was stricken with appendicitis.

So, the Packers placed Lloyd on the non-football injury list on Wednesday, meaning he’ll be unable to play or practice for the next four weeks.

“Well, we got a nice plan, a plan that we put into practice a lot,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said after practice on Wednesday. “So, it’s really just a matter of him staying engaged. He’s still at all the meetings, I still ask him questions. So, he’s around the team. It’s just a matter of continuously keeping him engaged and trying to keep his spirits high.”

It’s the “keep(ing) his spirits high” part that is the biggest challenge for Lloyd, whose rookie season has gone horribly wrong.

Lloyd suffered a hip injury and missed the start of training camp during a pre-camp workout with fellow rookies. In his preseason debut against Cleveland, he sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of camp and Week 1. In his NFL debut against Indianapolis in Week 2, he suffered an ankle injury and was out after 10 snaps.

After practicing for a couple weeks, Lloyd seemed ready for takeoff, only to be tackled by his appendix.

“Yeah, it’s hard for him,” Sirmans said. “It’s hard for us because, when you see how he runs and have opportunities to utilize his speed, you want to utilize him for certain things and for different things that we do offensively.

“So, it’s hard on everybody, but it’s just one of those strange situations that we just got to get past. But, at the end of the day, I always encourage him (that) he’s going to be just fine.”

Once Lloyd is healthy and eligible to begin practicing, the Packers will go through the process of ramping him up for action for the fourth time this season.

“He is a talent. It’s one of those things, it’s like going through the minor leagues, having him do stuff on the scout team, putting him in on different reps and then, ‘OK, he’s ready, now let’s call him up.’

And then, all of a sudden, nature strikes or whatever it is, and it hits him right at the right time. But we were definitely getting him prepped and getting him ready to play.”

Lloyd’s pain has been Chris Brooks’ gain.

Brooks, who spent his rookie season with the Dolphins, joined the Packers’ practice squad at the end of training camp. When Lloyd went on injured reserve on Sept. 17, Brooks filled the spot on the roster.

He’s become an invaluable member of the offense, especially in third-down passing situations, because of his rock-solid blitz pick-up skills. He stoned yet another blitzer against the Bears on Sunday, just like he did on three consecutive snaps during the Packers’ game-winning drive against Houston a few weeks ago.

“The No. 1 thing that a guy has to have is that tenacity that, ‘This guy is not getting to the quarterback,’” Sirmans said.

Sirmans compared Brooks to former Packers running back Patrick Taylor, who manned the dirty-work role in the backfield in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Brooks is a bigger threat with the ball in his hands, though. He turned a swing pass into a gain of 9 against Chicago by breaking a tackle. It was one of his two catches in 10 snaps against the Bears.

“He been able to give us that aspect where he’s good in protection, solid runner, solid out of the backfield,” Sirmans said.

“You trust him. He’s a high-effort guy. So, he’s been a delight to have. It’s like having a really good relief pitcher if it were baseball.”

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Jordan Love watched (and rewatched) last year’s playoff loss to the 49ers, which culminated with a late interception.

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On Sunday, Love and the #Packers will host the 49ers in a huge NFC clash.https://t.co/MkMHEWKV0F

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 20, 2024

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