The Green Bay Packers have their home opener on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts and are turning to backup quarterback Malik Willis to help the team avoid a rough 0-2 start.
Willis has been thrust into action sooner than expected after Jordan Love went down at the end of the team’s Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he should have some help in the form of one rookie who is set to make his debut on Sunday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared on Sunday morning that rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd is expected to make his debut against the Colts despite being listed as questionable due to the hamstring injury that kept him out for the Week 1 loss.
Lloyd is a rookie third-round pick out of USC and has been expected to take on a legitimate role in this offense after Aaron Jones left in free agency and AJ Dillon went on injured reserve due to a neck injury.
Given Willis’ limitations as a passer, the run game is likely to be a big focus on Sunday and Lloyd could step right in and play a big part.
It will be interesting to see how the team deploys him given the presence of Josh Jacobs, who is one of the last true every-down backs in the league.
Lloyd was mostly a traditional between-the-tackles RB at USC and only caught 34 passes in his college career, though he ran for 820 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 carries last season.
Sunday should be a run-heavy game from both sides, and we’ll see if Lloyd can thrive in his first dose of NFL action.
