Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Lloyd contacted the Packers training staff about abdominal pain earlier in the day. The third-round pick has appeared in just one game this season, as a reserve, against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, when he suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
The Packers designated him to return and opened their 21-day practice window this week. However, when the injury report was released Wednesday, Lloyd was also listed with a hamstring injury. Still, LaFleur said Thursday that Lloyd was on track to fill the Packers’ vacant spot on their 53-man roster.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” LaFleur said Friday. “Unfortunately, he had appendicitis. It’s a shame because he was progressing. But he will recover. I’m confident in that. That’s what I told him. But it’s a shame, certainly.”
Lloyd also missed parts of the preseason due to hip and hamstring injuries. In 2022, Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari underwent an appendectomy and missed three weeks. Because Lloyd’s recovery is likely to follow a similar timeline, the Packers may have to place him back on injured reserve.
They would first have to temporarily add him to the list for a day. A player can be activated off IR twice in the same season, but it counts as two of the eight allowed IR activations teams can make in a season.
However, the Packers also plan to talk to the NFL about whether a player who is in the middle of his 21-day practice window before being added to the roster could be placed on the non-football injured list.
The Packers’ running game has worked well without Lloyd. Behind Josh Jacobs, Green Bay entered the week fifth in the NFL in rushing offense.
However, the Packers were looking for ways to get Lloyd back into the game plan.
“I can’t wait to get him back into the fold,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Thursday. “Obviously, in the bye week you go back and explore yourself, you watch all the old films you had from the year and the game he played, you saw his explosive potential, his quickness, his receiving ability, very good player. He’s working on some things and he’s trying to get back as quickly as he can, but at the same time we have to make sure we’re smart with that and everything. But yeah, he’s working, and I’m looking forward to getting him back real soon.”
