Appendicitis delaying Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd's return from ankle injury

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd's return from injured reserve is on hold due to a case of appendicitis.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Friday that Lloyd started feeling some pain and asked Packers vice president of player health and performance Bryan Engel and head athletic trainer Nate Weir to check his abdomen.

''They sent him in, and sure enough, that's what it is,'' LaFleur said.

Lloyd has been on injured reserve since Sept. 17 due to an ankle issue and has played in only one game this season, but the third-round pick from Southern California had been practicing again this week to begin working toward his eventual return.

Now he must deal with another setback.

''He'll rebound,'' LaFleur said Friday. ''I'm confident in that. That's what I told him. But it is a shame, certainly.''

In the lone game he's played this season, Lloyd rushed for 15 yards on six carries in a Sept. 15 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Packers selected him out of Southern California with the 88th overall pick in this year's draft. Lloyd spent his final college season at Southern California after playing at South Carolina from 2021-22.

Green Bay (6-3) also has ruled rookie guard Jordan Morgan (shoulder) out for Sunday's game at Chicago (4-5). Defensive lineman Colby Wooden (shoulder) is doubtful, while cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and safety Evan Williams (hamstring) are questionable.

Alexander and Williams didn't play in the Packers' last game, a 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 3.

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