Imagine yourself leaving the life of college football and making your way to what could be a promising NFL career. You've done your time playing football on Saturdays, and you just got drafted within the first three rounds. This is it; your dream is coming true. You're in the NFL, and you have a good chance of seeing action on Sundays this season. But then, in training camp or early in the season, you sustain a serious injury. You're placed on injured reserve, and just like that, your excitement of an NFL career is put on hold for an entire year for recovery. 

This is an unfortunate reality for many NFL rookies. Before fans even know what they look like, let alone know their name, they're spending practices with the rehab group and watching games in a sweatsuit from the sidelines or even at home on their couch. The best thing for them to do is to immediately begin their plan for next season. Set some goals to achieve in recovery to make sure they come back for their second season better than ever. Stick around the team facilities and participate in as many team activities as possible. Keeping their mind sharp and continuing to learn despite their on-field presence will endear them to veterans and the coaching staff, not to mention help make next season much easier. 

What they don't want to do is dwell on it and crawl into a hole. That does nothing but set you back, and possibly end your career before you have a chance to recover. 

One historical case that comes to mind when thinking about Packers rookies whose promising season ended before it could even start is former guard Aaron Taylor. Taylor was the Packers' first-round pick, 16th overall, in 1994. Many football card collectors in 1994 pulled from packs rookie cards of Taylor, where he'd be pictured without a helmet on and in a plain white practice jersey. Many who pulled these cards didn't even know who he was, as when they'd tune in to a Packer game, he could be seen nowhere on the field. This would be the result of Aaron Taylor sustaining a torn patellar tendon in his right knee just a few days into minicamp. His rookie season was over even before training camp. 

Despite this, Taylor bounced back the following year and earned a spot as the starting right guard for the 1995 season. However, during the first playoff game following the season, Taylor suffered another knee injury, this time to his left knee. But once again, he bounced back for the following two seasons, starting at left guard this time for both the 1996 and 1997 seasons, helping the Packers reach the Super Bowl twice, with one victory in Super Bowl XXXI. Taylor left the Packers following the 1997 season and signed with the San Diego Chargers, where he'd play two more seasons starting at left guard, but injuries still nagged at him, leading to his retirement following the 1999 season. 

While we certainly don't want Packers rookies who recently lost the majority of their rookie seasons to injury to continue to have an injury-marred career like Aaron Taylor did, what we do want these players to take from Taylor is his ability to bounce back and still be a large contributor. 

Bounce Back Like Aaron Taylor

Jordan Morgan

The first name on the list for second-year players looking to bounce back would be former first-round pick at tackle, Jordan Morgan. Morgan was converted to right guard for his rookie season and looked to be on his way to overtaking Sean Rhyan for the starting role at the position until a recurring shoulder injury led to him being placed on injured reserve after only six games. Morgan required surgery on the shoulder that would hold him out for the remainder of the season. Instead of trying to solidify himself in a position on the Packers' starting five along the offensive line, he was instead watching his rookie season pass by from the sideline. 

Morgan is a little more known to Packer fans given his draft position and 30 years after Aaron Taylor was drafted, with social media and much more hoopla around the draft than in 1994, Morgan is a bit more recognizable than Taylor was. But one thing Jordan Morgan can take from Aaron Taylor is his ability to rally back and overcome that misfortune. With his main competition at the right guard position in Sean Rhyan entering a contract year, and the Packers' need to solidify their line even in the backup roles in 2025, Morgan may have a chance to carve out a starting role by bouncing back in training camp this year. 

Competition may come from others on the roster looking to seize the opportunity, like rookie John Williams and fellow second-year player Jacob Monk. But Morgan should have the upper hand in that competition, given that he bounces back from injury.

Marshawn Lloyd

Former third-round pick in 2024, running back Marshawn Lloyd, had an ankle injury in week 2 of the 2024 season that placed him on injured reserve. Lloyd was designated to return from the injury, but later had to return to the list after requiring an appendectomy. There was hope he could return from this still, but he did not, and his rookie season was lost after only two weeks. This puts Lloyd on the list of players forgotten in their rookie season due to injury. 

Entering 2025, Lloyd still has a big opportunity to bounce back. Josh Jacobs surely is the number 1 running back, but number 2 is far from solidified. Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks both had good seasons, but with Wilson and Brooks both on 1-year deals and Lloyd being the younger back with a three-year investment still being on the table, Lloyd may be favored in the event he matches Wilson and Brooks' levels. Lloyd has the tools to become a good complement to Josh Jacobs, and a promising return from injury could change his fortune from a frustrating rookie season to a great second year.