When the Packers finally take the field against the Vikings on September 13th, they hope to do so with a ton of reinforcements. But, there are two in particular that have occupied a premium spot in the part of my brain that is Packers-obsessed. 

These two players are not exactly “new” to the Packers roster. They’ve been here for a while. The problem is, though, that neither one of them has really played all that much. And it’s also for that reason why they are so exciting to me. 

Those two players are Marshawn Lloyd and Collin Oliver. 

Despite going into his third year as an NFL player, Lloyd has only played ten total snaps in the NFL, all in 2024. His injury concerns are well documented by this point, so I won’t waste anyone's time by listing them out again. There is some hope that his long term issues have been solved, using a process similar to the one that helped Christian Watson and former Packer Eric Stokes alleviate some long term, soft tissue issues of their own. 

But as far as what Lloyd could bring to the Packers offense, I don’t think that there is any doubt he can be a dynamic presence in the backfield that Packers currently desperately lack. 2025’s running back room was certainly hamstrung by a pretty ineffective offensive line. Last season, the Packers ranked hilariously low in yards before contact, a statistic I value pretty heavily for measuring an offense’s rushing effectiveness. Josh Jacobs averaged about 2 yards before contact, Emmanuel Wilson only 1.7. So believe me that I know the lack of effective rushing was not entirely a condemnation of Jacobs or Wilson, the team’s top two ball carriers by attempts. But when actually watching the games, it was pretty clear that the two suffered from a certain.. Lack of dynamism. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the two. But the facts are the facts. Jacob’s 40 yard rushing touchdown was his lone breakaway run of the season, and Emmanuel Wilson’s longest rush of the year was fifteen yards. For an offense that was as effective at generating explosive passing plays as the Packers were last year (sixth in the league), they sure failed at doing the same thing on the ground. 

Enter Marshawn Lloyd, who has the gamebreaking speed to really make a difference for Green Bay in this area. He’s a true “change of pace” back that pairs perfectly with Josh Jacobs. So, not only has Lloyd not played much for the Packers in three years, but he’ll also bring an exciting change to the room as well that Green Bay couldn’t produce themselves. We also shouldn’t discount what he can bring to the passing game as a threat, a non-negotiable aspect for running backs in the modern NFL but one that seemed lacking last season as well. Not only was this a noted strength of Lloyd’s college game, but it was a gamechanger for the USC Trojans in 2023. Whether in the backfield or split out into the slot, Lloyd averaged 17.8 yards per catch that year. 

Next up: Collin Oliver. 

Oftentimes lumped in with his fellow rookie from the 2025 class, Oliver is behind Barryn Sorrell in several ways. First and foremost, especially to the relevancy of this article, was that Sorrell actually got to play last year. Over the course of the season, Sorrell played 206 snaps over 15 games. Oliver, on the other hand, appeared in only a single game, 31 snaps against the Vikings in week 18. 

Oliver’s rookie campaign never really had a chance to be much more, and injuries are once again to blame. It’s an eerily similar situation to Marshawn Lloy’ds, once you start to get down into it. Oliver suffered a foot injury in the second week of the 2024 college football season while at Oklahoma State, forcing him to miss the rest of that season. Then last training camp, a hamstring injury, surgery for that injury, and a setback for that injury, conspired to keep the speedy edge rusher off the field for the vast majority of the year. And then already this year, Oliver has been sidelined from minicamp (at least during days where media members are allowed) with an undisclosed issue. 

Injuries can become compounded in terms of importance when they happen during a player’s rookie year. Not only are you missing valuable training reps, but you are missing out on opportunities to get acclimated to the environment, but opportunities to earn roles for yourself on the team. Think how Jordan Morgan’s injury might have cost him a starting role his rookie year, and all the resulting butterfly effects therein. 

I’m certainly not saying that Oliver’s injury cost him a starting spot, but I do think it cost Green Bay the opportunity to figure out how to use him in the first place. Oliver isn’t a typical Packers edge rusher. At 240lbs, he’s an anomaly to the point where it’s a surprise the Packers drafted him in the first place. He’s a speed rusher, a “designated pass rusher”. GM Brian Gutekunst has publicly shied away from drafting these kinds of players before, and I could never really quite fault him for his logic. A smaller, pass rushing edge rusher could get forced onto the field by injuries to others, and all of a sudden he’s forced into a role that isn’t suited for him. A 240 lb edge is lunch to an offensive lineman in the NFL. 

Still, I was glad the Packers drafted him anyway. We just talked about how valuable a guy like Marshawn Lloyd could be as a change of pace for the rushing attacks. Not to continue the obvious parallels between these two players, but Oliver looks to do the same thing for the pass rush group. A typical Green Bay defensive end lands around 250-265 lbs, and is a power rusher. Goes right through a tackle, sets the edge in the run game, and prevents as an overpowering figure. Oliver’s game is speed, bend and finesse. Having the ability to line up different players on an OT is such an underrated aspect of designing a pass rush. 

Imagine for a moment, you're an offensive tackle in the league, and you’ve just gone ten reps with 275 lb Lukas Van Ness. probably feeling a bit beat up, no? You're on third and long now, and LVN lines up, not in front of you but as an inside DT. In his place, is #45 Collin Oliver, who hits the corner on you before you know what happens. 

That’s the best case scenario at least. And Oliver’s got his chance to fill this kind of role before Micah properly returns from his torn ACL. He also allows the Packers to improve an area they struggled at times with last season: generating quick pressures. “Quick” being the operative word here, meaning it’s a pressure that affects the quarterback in under 2.5 seconds (the average time to throw in the NFL). It’s not hard to see how a speed rusher like Oliver can help in that area. 

When he did finally get a chance to play last season, what we saw was not the real version of Collin Oliver. Despite projecting as a designated passer rusher only in the league Oliver played an every down role that day, 13 run defense snaps to 17 pass rush reps. So, due to the shorthanded nature of the roster that day, he was forced to fulfill Brian Gutekunst's biggest fear (of course, that game was entirely meaningless, so getting him reps at all was more important). Still, Oliver finished that game with two pressures and two QB hits, not a horrible result. 

Now, when it comes to these two players, and what they can bring to the team in 2025, the biggest question is: “How far along in their development path are they now?” After all, reinforcements are only as valuable as what they can do to improve your situation. In a hypothetical situation where both players are healthy all year, can they hit the ground running? Have their injuries stunted their physical development into NFL players? Undoubtedly, yes. Mentally, they should have a grasp of the scheme, playbook and their fellow players that prevents us from considering them as a “brand new” addition. If these two can hit the ground running in 2026, it will go a long way to Green Bay improving their level of play.