Green Bay, Wisconsin — For AJ Dillon, two stingers in eight months doesn’t exactly paint a clear image, but the Green Bay Packers need more information before deciding how to proceed with the fifth-year tailback.
For Dillon, who has been playing a little amount of preseason and training camp as the team’s No. 2 running back, this is the brutal reality. He didn’t play the following week against the Denver Broncos after running four times for just two yards in the exhibition opener against the Cleveland Browns, leading many to speculate that his roster status is safe because he’s being rested alongside the Packers’ starters. Dillon was being sidelined because of an injury, even though that might turn out to be the case nevertheless.
In a game on September 24 against the New Orleans Saints, AJ Dillon carries the ball. (Image: Getty)
Coach Matt LaFleur stated on Wednesday, “I think anytime you have a repeat injury, absolutely there’s a concern.” “I think we’re being cautious with him and making sure we gather all the information before we let him go back out there.”
Dillon did not practice this week, and he did not participate in the joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Prior to moving further, LaFleur stated that the medical staff of the club is still awaiting a few more views, referring to the situation as a “wait and see” situation.
Dillon missed the last regular-season game and the two playoff games for the Packers due to a cervical neck injury he sustained in the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on New Year’s Eve. He averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry while running 178 times for 613 yards and two scores across 15 games. Since his debut season in 2020, when he was the Packers’ third-string running back, he finished with the fewest touchdowns and the fewest rushing yards. It looked like Dillon’s roster status was in peril since the Packers signed Josh Jacobs, a former league rushing champion, and spent a third-round pick on Marshawn Lloyd of USC while allowing Aaron Jones to reach unrestricted free agency.
There was still room for Dillon, the team’s top pass-protecting running back by far, in the recently renovated room. That might have been enough to secure his spot on the squad, but Lloyd’s constant barrage of injuries also made room for him. Lloyd hasn’t practiced since suffering a hamstring strain during his lone carry, an eight-yard run, against the Browns, which occurred during the start of training camp due to a hip ailment.
Due to Dillon and Lloyd’s temporary injuries, Ellis Merriweather, Nate McCrary, and Emanuel Wilson will share the bulk of the rushing duties in Saturday’s game against the Ravens. Jarveon Howard had an ankle injury last week, which led to his release by the Packers.
Wilson presently leads the league in preseason rushing yards (67 against the Browns, 41 against the Broncos) as of right now. As an undrafted rookie, he led the league in running last summer and earned a spot on the Packers’ 53-man roster. He may have similar luck this time around. Both Dillon and Lloyd might very well wind up on short-term injured reserve, which would prevent them from playing for the first four weeks of the regular season.
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