ClutchPoints
On the heels of another disappointing early exit in the 2024 playoffs, the Green Bay Packers have been itching to start 2025 training camp for months. While most of the team’s buzz has been positive early on, cornerback Nate Hobbs and running back MarShawn Lloyd have not gotten off to the hottest starts.
Before training camp, the focus of the Packers’ offseason had been on their petition to ban the Philadelphia Eagles’ “tush push” play and their dragged-out Jaire Alexander fiasco. Since reconvening in camp, Green Bay’s headlines have been dominated by their crop of incoming talent. Hobbs, who signed a four-year, $48 million deal in free agency, tops the team’s newest defensive acquisitions.
Although technically not a first-year player, Lloyd is essentially preparing for his rookie season. The Packers selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft to complement Josh Jacobs in the backfield, but Lloyd played just 10 snaps in 2024. The USC alum spent several weeks on injured reserve with a myriad of leg injuries before ultimately getting shut down due to appendicitis.
The 2025 season is supposed to begin a new chapter for Hobbs and Lloyd, and there is still more than enough time for that to be true. Training camp stories are often mere footnotes by Week 4. However, neither Nate Hobbs nor MarShawn Lloyd has had a good start to the Packers’ 2025 training camp.
Nate Hobbs, who signed a lucrative deal with the team in free agency, has stirred up the most drama in the team’s training camp thus far. The Packers brought him in to be a defensive tone-setter, but the 26-year-old appeared to cross the line a few too many times. Green Bay has since dismissed the issue, but Hobbs has been disciplined by head coach Matt LaFleur on multiple occasions.
Hobbs initially raised concerns about being too physical with the Packers’ wideouts during non-padded practice sessions. He apologized to the team for his actions, but noted that he would not be changing his style of play.
A few sets later, the situation worsened when Hobbs hit Lloyd low, causing the running back to limp off the field in agony. Lloyd did not return for the rest of practice and seems to be out of commission for the time being.
Although the Packers have been adamant that Lloyd’s injury was not caused by Hobbs — general manager Brian Gutekunst claimed it occurred before the hit on that same play — the team still disciplined its prized free agency signing for his actions. LaFleur held Hobbs out for the next handful of plays while conversing with him on the sideline.
Hobbs has publicly responded to the incident, saying he respects LaFleur’s decision and is sorry about Lloyd’s injury. He insisted that the tackle was a byproduct of his positioning while dealing with a blocker. With the locker room seemingly on his side, the situation does...
