2026 Injuries

[milani]

IMO Lloyd is that RB you bring in more second half as the D loosens some. He can be effective in the Passing game, almost like a Slot. Unfortunately our guys are all really RB3 level. Pierre is probably the closest to a RB2 level producer. That cat has great speed.

Yes. It is what it is.

 

[Heyjoe4]

IMO Lloyd is that RB you bring in more second half as the D loosens some. He can be effective in the Passing game, almost like a Slot. Unfortunately our guys are all really RB3 level. Pierre is probably the closest to a RB2 level producer. That cat has great speed.

Good assessment of Lloyd. I thought he was picked for his agility and speed, neither of which has been seen, or at least not in the games I watched. The JS ran an article yesterday that the RB woes can't all be blamed on the OL.

They singled out Lloyd for 1) missing gaps that open up left or right of his blockers and 2) when he either misses a gap or one doesn't open up, he thinks he can outrun the opponents' edge coverage. So far, he can't. I've seen him kick a run out to the left or right, only to be stopped for no gain, and a lot of TFLs.

He does look very strong, and your point of playing him when a D is starting to wear out is valid. He can use his strength to get past blocks.

I do see Strong as the best #2 back, even after Jacobs' return. Strong's running style in similar to Aaron Jones - the abikity to "swim" through narrow gaps and pick up 5 plus yards regularly.

So does Lloyd have a place on the team? IMO as a 3rd RB, and even then only until Brooks gets back. I hope I'm wrong about Lloyd and there is speed and agility we haven't seen yet.

 

[OldSchool101]

Good assessment of Lloyd. I thought he was picked for his agility and speed, neither of which has been seen, or at least not in the games I watched. The JS ran an article yesterday that the RB woes can't all be blamed on the OL.

They singled out Lloyd for 1) missing gaps that open up left or right of his blockers and 2) when he either misses a gap or one doesn't open up, he thinks he can outrun the opponents' edge coverage. So far, he can't. I've seen him kick a run out to the left or right, only to be stopped for no gain, and a lot of TFLs.

He does look very strong, and your point of playing him when a D is starting to wear out is valid. He can use his strength to get past blocks.

I do see Strong as the best #2 back, even after Jacobs' return. Strong's running style in similar to Aaron Jones - the abikity to "swim" through narrow gaps and pick up 5 plus yards regularly.

So does Lloyd have a place on the team? IMO as a 3rd RB, and even then only until Brooks gets back. I hope I'm wrong about Lloyd and there is speed and agility we haven't seen yet.

yes there’s a place for Lloyd. I’ve been saying this from my first watch of his tape before the Draft in that he’s not a Workhorse type. He’s a good compliment to someone like Josh who in a way wears down a D.

Get him in space. That doesn’t mean Q1 running him into the A-B hole 5 times. It’s the opposite of his strength. Get him faking a handoff and then hit him around LOS or +1 with a just a yard of space. He’s got an amazing change of direction and 1st to 2nd gear. He also had really solid hands almost like a good WR. Get him involved in the short passing game almost Kamara like.

 

[El Guapo]

Get him in space. That doesn’t mean Q1 running him into the A-B hole 5 times. It’s the opposite of his strength. Get him faking a handoff and then hit him around LOS or +1 with a just a yard of space. He’s got an amazing change of direction and 1st to 2nd gear. He also had really solid hands almost like a good WR. Get him involved in the short passing game almost Kamara like.

It almost, ALMOST sounds like a setup for the screen game. If only we had the OL to pull that off.

Maybe some center screens could be successful because that is how our pass protection looks anyway - like they all went O'lay!

 

[milani]

Good assessment of Lloyd. I thought he was picked for his agility and speed, neither of which has been seen, or at least not in the games I watched. The JS ran an article yesterday that the RB woes can't all be blamed on the OL.

They singled out Lloyd for 1) missing gaps that open up left or right of his blockers and 2) when he either misses a gap or one doesn't open up, he thinks he can outrun the opponents' edge coverage. So far, he can't. I've seen him kick a run out to the left or right, only to be stopped for no gain, and a lot of TFLs.

He does look very strong, and your point of playing him when a D is starting to wear out is valid. He can use his strength to get past blocks.

I do see Strong as the best #2 back, even after Jacobs' return. Strong's running style in similar to Aaron Jones - the abikity to "swim" through narrow gaps and pick up 5 plus yards regularly.

So does Lloyd have a place on the team? IMO as a 3rd RB, and even then only until Brooks gets back. I hope I'm wrong about Lloyd and there is speed and agility we haven't seen yet.

Yes. And even if it is not speed the best runners have an instinct that tells them exactly when to break it outside. Bijan Robinson is a good example. Adrian Peterson and Walter Payton may have been the best.

 

[Heyjoe4]

yes there’s a place for Lloyd. I’ve been saying this from my first watch of his tape before the Draft in that he’s not a Workhorse type. He’s a good compliment to someone like Josh who in a way wears down a D.

Get him in space. That doesn’t mean Q1 running him into the A-B hole 5 times. It’s the opposite of his strength. Get him faking a handoff and then hit him around LOS or +1 with a just a yard of space. He’s got an amazing change of direction and 1st to 2nd gear. He also had really solid hands almost like a good WR. Get him involved in the short passing game almost Kamara like.

Thanks OS. I disagree with this statement you made - "He’s got an amazing change of direction and 1st to 2nd gear."

This is how he was advertised when drafted. And maybe in college and before his two-year run of injuries it was true. I see the opposite - he rarely changes direction to take advanatage of a gap or crease, and he runs at one speed, slow. Instead of hitting a gap or crease he thinks he can outrun a defender on the edge. He can't because he's too slow and can't cut sharply.

I think Strong will be a better #2 to Jacobs (whenever he returns). Brooks adds value as the #3 RB, leaving no room for Lloyd, or maybe the PS. He would easily clear a waiver wire.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Yes. And even if it is not speed the best runners have an instinct that tells them exactly when to break it outside. Bijan Robinson is a good example. Adrian Peterson and Walter Payton may have been the best.

Agreed m. This is especially noticeable when a play doesn't unfold as planned. Guys like Robinson will spot a gap or crease when it develops and change direction and accelerate with one step. In addition to the guys you mentioned, Barry Sanders was a master at this. His cuts were so fast and so sharp it appeared he was parallel to the ground, hip inches from the turf. Well it looked that way. The point is that guys are great RBs because of these qualities, among others.

And when there are no gaps or creases, and the edge defense sags, these guys have plenty of speed to outrun a LB to the outside.

I haven't seen any from Lloyd. Not even close. He looks like a good receiver and is used that way on occasion. But RB #1, not even close.

 

[OldSchool101]

In Lloyd Defense he’s not been used ideally to his strengths. In addition his OL has played historically poor. Not every RB is built for Josh Jacobs “workhorse” role.
His Draft profile couldn’t be more clear AND accurate. His strength is getting him involved in space. Those are designed plays that feature his strengths and this has not been a secret. The last thing you want is using him as a Josh Jones Pseudo RB

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

Lloyd is punishing YAC type and has near elite shiftiness in pursuit. Thats why he has a natural inclination to divert outside to exercise his natural open field ability. I’m not excusing it I’m explaining it. Understanding your players strength in weakness is paramount. One run against Dallas he was -3 yards behind LOS being accosted and had just gotten the handoff before assault. Another he either runs into a pile or looks for daylight against a 9 man box and tries to bounce it out only to have 2 more defenders on him at -3 yards for a -4 loss.

Speaking of injuries much of his current usage is a good way to put him on IR.

 

[milani]

Agreed m. This is especially noticeable when a play doesn't unfold as planned. Guys like Robinson will spot a gap or crease when it develops and change direction and accelerate with one step. In addition to the guys you mentioned, Barry Sanders was a master at this. His cuts were so fast and so sharp it appeared he was parallel to the ground, hip inches from the turf. Well it looked that way. The point is that guys are great RBs because of these qualities, among others.

And when there are no gaps or creases, and the edge defense sags, these guys have plenty of speed to outrun a LB to the outside.

I haven't seen any from Lloyd. Not even close. He looks like a good receiver and is used that way on occasion. But RB #1, not even close.

I left out Sanders. Super human.
And there was the great Jim Brown who was just physically more advanced than all the players of his time. So he could run, pile drive, or accelerate at any point on the field. He just ran away or ran into.

 

[Magooch]

At this point Lloyd's "strengths" pretty much only exist as hypotheticals anyhow though lol

 

[OldSchool101]

At this point Lloyd's "strengths" pretty much only exist as hypotheticals anyhow though lol

Funny Magooch!
However in small sample we’ve seen how once he hits a crease his production spikes. Give him an inch he’ll run you a mile. The problem I’m seeing is he’s being used as a primary RB1 workhorse role and worse yet his RUN block has been arguably Bottom 3 in the league.
I’m not pretending to be Sirmans, but you don’t give up on a player if you are putting them in compromising roles that are near the antithesis of ideal. I get it the Staff wants to turn him into Josh Jacobs, but he’s it’s calling a Giraffe a Rhino. It just is a setup for disappointment.

I do think if Josh gets back regular and we get Zeitler plugged and possibly a little more continuity on scheme? THEN you use Lloyd once you see the D loosen and you also involve him more in the short passing game. Get him 1 on 1 with a LB in open field and you’ll see what I’m seeing and I’m seeing EXACTLY what Scouts have already iterated.

 

[Magooch]

Funny Magooch!
However in small sample we’ve seen how once he hits a crease his production spikes. Give him an inch he’ll run you a mile. The problem I’m seeing is he’s being used as a primary RB1 workhorse role and worse yet his RUN block has been arguably Bottom 3 in the league.
I’m not pretending to be Sirmans, but you don’t give up on a player if you are putting them in compromising roles that are near the antithesis of ideal. I get it the Staff wants to turn him into Josh Jacobs, but he’s it’s calling a Giraffe a Rhino. It just is a setup for disappointment.

I do think if Josh gets back regular and we get Zeitler plugged and possibly a little more continuity on scheme? THEN you use Lloyd once you see the D loosen and you also involve him more in the short passing game. Get him 1 on 1 with a LB in open field and you’ll see what I’m seeing and I’m seeing EXACTLY what Scouts have already iterated.

The issue for me is that he simply almost never identifies a crease in the first place though. That's not to say the OL is just opening up highways for him but he seems to have no vision for it whatsoever, unless it's a hole big enough to drive a Mack truck through he just can't locate it.

Right now he is quite literally dead last in the league for rush yards over expected. This already accounts for blocking and he is at approximately -1.5 yards per carry less than expectation. In other words if you looked at the position and proximity of the defenders and the spaces created by the OL's run blocking and determined an average player would gain 5 yards, drop Lloyd in there and he probably gains 3.5 yards. And he is second-worst in the league in efficiency (yards gained vs distance traveled) and that's all in spite of typically facing light boxes, he very rarely is running up against stacked boxes (5th or 6th-least in the league).

My gut also says that while the OL isn't really doing our RBs any favors, I also kinda feel like our RBs aren't doing anything to make the OL look better, either. It kinda works both ways. A bad OL can make a great RB look worse than he is, but poor RB can make your OL look like it's doing a lot worse, too. For instance ESPN puts us at 15th in the league in run blocking win rate
(That said, to be fair I'm not sure how valuable that metric is. We are 15th at 73% run block win rate; dead last is at 68% while 1st is at 77%. There doesn't seem to be a ton of variation overall)

 

[Poppa San]

THEN you use Lloyd once you see the D loosen and you also involve him more in the short passing game. Get him 1 on 1 with a LB in open field and you’ll see what I’m seeing and I’m seeing EXACTLY what Scouts have already iterated.

Until Reed / Moore get back could he be better used in the slot?

 

[OldSchool101]

Until Reed / Moore get back could he be better used in the slot?

yes. I’d use him situationally, but yes I’d figure his snaps up as a hybrid role. I think we’re missing him in the underneath passing game.

 

[Schultz]

1. I wish I had a dollar for every post that says "once we get Zeiter in the lineup we are ...................
2. I wish those posters are correct!

 

[OldSchool101]

1. I wish I had a dollar for every post that says "once we get Zeiter in the lineup we are ...................
2. I wish those posters are correct!

True that. I’d take a Dime for every post that materially suggested moving into a rebuild after just 3 weeks.

 

[OldSchool101]

Multiple confirmed reports that The Packers have reached out to negotiate for Colts DT, Deforest Buckner or Grover Stewart.
Replacing Hargrave should be priority #1. Having a proven commodity added to our DL, who is substantial against the Run, would be highly preferable. Getting THAT + an interior Pass Rush presence + Micah layered behind that by mid season? VERY formidable. Especially the way our DB’s are becoming top tier takeaway artists already.

Deforest Buckner wouldn’t be cheap from a Draft Collateral aspect, but he’s an instant upgrade from Javon Hargrave. Buckner has already registered 3.5 Sacks,2 Knockdowns, a Forced Fumble and FR in just 6 contests. I’d suspect to keep his Cap hit low (prorated ~$6Mil) he’s predicted a ~RD3+ possibly a Day 3 swap. Financially it’s tight but 100% doable.

 

[Magooch]

Correct me if I'm wrong here but I think we could effectively flip that pick into a rental+compensatory pick?
For instance I think that's like what the Eagles did with Jaelan Phillips. Traded a 3rd for him, had him for a year, signed in free agency with Dolphins, now they're likely to collect a 3rd round compensatory pick next draft. Maybe we don't turn a 3rd for a late 3rd in return but could still stand to recover some of those costs that route even if not a long term signing/solution