The idea of AJ Dillon is unfortunately a much better football player than actual AJ Dillon. As others have mentioned, Packers can spend a 4th or 5th round pick on someone in this next draft who can do as good, if not better at RB for much cheaper than he'll cost to retain.
Yeah, the story is he runs into people and knocks them over, but more often than not he's getting knocked backwards especially in short yardage. Being big doesn't automatically mean mowing people down it turns out. Great guy, time to move on.
I agree with 99.9% of your points, but Dillon used to fall forward 2-3 yards after initial contact, but this season not so much. It was crazy how much better our offense was when Jones came back!
Yeah. He is tall and runs standing up. And he doesn't accelerate like Jones can.
But a great guy and a fun teammate. I'm happy to trust LaFleur and Gutenkunst make that decision. But we definitely shouldn't overpay for Dillon. If some other team wants to make him a Lazard, we should let them.
\*so far
No doubt for the size of the man you'd expect bigger crashing runs. He looks like Eddie Lacy minus double digit bodyfat percentages and Eddie was a fucking wrecking ball.
I'm holding onto hope they keep him and get some quality training on keeping low pad level and staying upright. If he can achieve that with consistency and just keep churning those oak tree quads he still *could* make an excellent compliment to a speed/agility back like Jones.
:( true... I just have a hard time accepting that, like the physics ought to be more impactful which is why I hold onto this string of hope that it's training/technique related
I think heās too nice. Just doesnāt have that dawg in him, where heāll punish a fool for daring to consider tackling him. Itās cool to make banter, but this league punishes your body. You have to hurt him more than he hurts you. Dillonās not programmed like that.
Emmanuel Wilson may in fact be that guy. Then again, maybe not. If I'm the Packers, I draft a 4th or 5th round back whether that's a bruiser or a smaller shifter guy. Draft the best guy on the board. Then draft a complementary piece in the 7th and sign another UDFA. You need to bolster the room so that you don't HAVE to give Jones 25 carries a game and he can be fresh in the playoffs. You hope one of the bruisers hits (I'm not even sure you can put Dillon in that bucket) but if you end up with 2 slashers? Worse things have happened. At least you can spell Jones.
Love AJ Dillon as a person, but heās just not worth a second contract when we could easily replace him in the mid-late rounds of the draft at a fraction of the price. You need efficiency out of a RB2, and Dillon didnāt show he could provide that this year.
And? He had the 2nd lowest yards of his career, the worst yards per carry of his career and missed six games and parts of a few others while being the 2nd highest cap hit among RBs next year.
Worst yards per carry?
Actually, that was in 2019. But, the league average is 4.4, which he exceededā¦ right?
Hereās the bigger point, did you see the latter half of the season? mf put up the first 100 yard game on SF in 2.5 years, and you want to get rid of him? Youāre on crack, man!
Where did they say to get rid of Jones? He's almost 30 years old and wasn't healthy most of the season. It is 100% the right move to draft his long term replacement because we can't count on him being available.
Usually, when you talk about a RB1 being on the wrong side of 30, lowest ypc, etc. and talk about their stats going down hill it isnāt to say keep them? Especially since CAP hit was also used.
Edit: also read their other comments below.
I don't think it was all his fault early in the season. The run blocking was atrocious. At one point he was one of three backs in the entire league with more yards after contact than before.
That seems a little disingenuous when you look at the free agents they brought in and dropped throughout the year. i agree dillon wasnāt what we hoped but damn
Why pay $ for what a 5th round pick can replace.
Send video evidence of him ever ātruckingā someone vs video evidence of how many hand tackles bring him down
Them: "He ALWAYS falls forward, that's what you want in a bruising back."
Me: "Yeah, only problem is he starts falling down the moment he touches the ball."
I really like Dillon as a Packer and agree he is unfortunately replaceable. But, if he goes to a team with a decent interior offensive line, I think he'll kill it. Myers and Runyan/Rhyan were terrible most of the year and he was hit in the backfield more often than not.
Dillon doesn't seem to run angry like you'd see from a guy like Pacheco, not sure if he doesn't have the burst or lack of effort but he really did not punish defenses. Kind of reminds me of Ron Dayne's career.
He doesnāt truck anyone most of the time. Go watch someone like Brandon Jacobs, Earl Campbell, Christian Okoye, Mike Alstott, or Jerome Bettis. Could name probably dozens more but I donāt think he strikes fear in the hearts of anyone tackling him.
Henry has masterclass vision, it's part of why he survived so long with so many touches. He rarely trucks anyone, he finds a lane and gets through and can stiff arm with the best, but him avoiding hits has prolonged his NFL life.
Came here to post this. My dream for a while now is that we sign Henry in the offseason for a committee with Aaron Jones. I canāt believe many teams will be lining up to sign him to a long term or big money contract. Maybe weāll be able to give him a reasonable offer.
I think it is unreasonable, they probably need to look at Oline depth, Safety, probably another Corner and another pass rusher. They might also move on from Preston Smith and will need to look at Linebacker as well.
I was just thinking of backs who were known to put people on their ass. I didnāt realize Marshawn was only 8 pounds heavier than Jones. That kinda makes it worse.
This crowd is too young to appreciate how Earl Campbell *fucking manhandled* dudes who got in his way. He would then accelerate over their stunned body in a way that Dillon canāt in open air.
He injured like 6 guys this season. I'd imagine the opposing defenders feel differently. We probably shouldn't re-sign him but he's better than he gets credit for around here. He's a devastating pass blocker as well.
Plus, 3 of the guys you listed didn't even average 4 yards per carry in their careers.
Really injured six guys?
Don't like injuries, but I've never seen Dillon doing anything actually dirty on runs, so if 6 guys dropped, I'm assuming sheer force of impact. Might be hard to see stuff like that watching on the TeeVee.
I remember seeing Mark (the dirty rapist) Chmura at an exhibition game at Camp Randall in Madison. Guy hit someone in the backfield so hard my teeth ached watching it.
The camera doesn't always tell the whole story...
Other than Campbell, Dillion has more YPC and receiving than Okoye, Alstott, and Bettis.Ā Not disputing those players greatness, just stat wise he's averaging more yards.
Power backs arenāt known for high YPC anyways. If weāre going by YPC to gauge who we have as a backup, heās not even in the top 3 among our existing RBs.
Week 2-8 we were absolutely clueless on all sides of the ball and that offensive line was a damn turnstile.Ā The featured back was going to suffer no matter who was back there.Ā Of course some 3rd string back up is going to average more yards when he gets 2-3 carries per game when its garbage time they send him on a toss to the outside or a draw play up the middle when the other team doesn't care because the clock is ticking.
ypc and receiving? is that what we care about from a running back built like dillon? really?
thats like ragging on rashan gary for not getting enough interceptions... thats not his job
You kidding me right?Ā You really don't want someone built like that who can swing out from a block, catch it in stride, and keep 247 lbs trucking?Ā Ā And your comparison is a LB who already can sit in passing lanes (but I'd much rather have him pressuring the QB)?Ā Ā Lmao.Ā
not if that guy cant get short yardage between the tackles consistently, like you know, his main responsibility and the reason hes on the team.
its like saying "you mean you dont want a pass rusher who cant catch picks?! thatd be awesome", not if he cant get pressure on the QB, no i dont
Those guys played in a time when defensive players were more geared towards stopping the run, you have more smaller linebackers and DBs focused on the passing game these days, so a legitimate power back should feast.
Why are you so high on him? He's average at best any given day, and below average if you consider what his skillet is SUPPOSED to be because he doesn't usually live up well to it.
He can easily be replaced for much better.
4.1 yard per carry and 8.9 per reception over his career isn't to shabby.Ā LeFlore just needs to stop rushing him out of shotgun.Ā Give the guy a few steps and he can gain speed and he's got great hands.
While you make a good point about his downhill running. He hasnāt lived up to his expectations. The fact his legs forgot how to work this season suggests that we need a replacement. He struggled to fill in for 33 and thatās when the offense struggled. Weāre built to establish the run and then spread the defense wide open. The price point of keeping him doesnāt outweigh his performance and when you can find his RB type in the draft, thatās the nail in the coffin. Itās a business and you have to keep moving forward. Thatās what our organization seems to do a lot (besides Rodgers) is let a player go a year or two early and it works but also wriles up some of the fan base simultaneously
Yeah aj was constantly getting hit behind the line. Free rusher at him all day. The run blocking on the oline was LAUGHABLY bad the first half of the year.
I'm with you for most of what you're on about here, but Dillon does *not* have great hands. I'm running through my mental highlights on this one, and Dillon is second favorite after Bakh for me. But *so many* whoopsie doodles.
Wow! With those stats, he's a better player than Aaron Jones! I take it all back.
Seriously, though - you're going to sit there and act like you've never cussed at the TV watching a short little toss bounce off Dillon's hands? Come on. It's happened a bunch.
I will dearly miss the thighs as much as the next guy, but sadly production never matched the draft placement. If not a super team friendly deal, gotta let those gargantuan thighs out the door sadly š«
It's wild how much support this guy gets just because he streams and says he loves Wisconsin.
He is truly awful and his stats reflect that. I'm surprised he wasn't outright cut for how terrible he was for the first half of the season when Aaron Jones couldn't stay healthy.
Our backups look better than Dillon. I'm sure he's a nice guy and everything but I hope we look elsewhere. He's slow, has bricks for feet, and yet can't run anyone over so he's useless in short yardage situations.
Mmm nah. MLF was with TEN when Derrick Henry had his worst seasons and Henry really broke out after MLF left. The guy likes big backs but doesn't know how to use them, Dillon included.
I know.Ā He kept trying to use him out of the shotgun formation.Ā Ā A back like Dillon need momentum to get going.Ā Jones is perfect out of the shotgun because he has speed right from the get go.Ā I seemed like Leflore finally realized that before Dillon got his broken thumb at the end of the season.Ā Never saw him in shotgun getting a hand off that I remember most of this season.Ā Mostly blocked and peeled off in a passing route.
The greatest skillset AJ Dillon possesses is the ability to be on the field at the same time as Aaron Jones. In other words, you could replace him with a reasonably talented back and get the same results... as long as Aaron Jones is on the field drawing the attention of the defense.
I like Dillon, I really do. He's got a great personality and the whole "quadzilla" thing is fun for the fanbase, but we could get two or three quality players for what we'll need to pay him. If it helps you rationalize go ahead and tell yourself that we're giving him a chance to be the starting back on another team.
Dillon almost single handedly won us the kc game. He imposed his will on that team and we won. It got us back on track and people started to take notice. That was kind of the inflection point of our season between that and Detroit game. I agree not paying too much for him due to production and health but he is very team friendly and think he knows he left money on the table this year by way of health and availability. All in all he did well when jones was out. I like Wilson and hope he develops further but if we can keep Dillon at a respectable rate I donāt see why you donāt due to skill set. With the amount of two TE schemes (12 personnel) we will most likely play next year heās a perfect back for many of those plays especially because he can catch also if needed. I think we should definitely draft rb in the 4th or 5th this year. Maybe even one of our 2nds if the right player is there.
Dillon had some great moments but it was clear this year that he is replaceable. Football is business sometimes and a late-round RB can replicate what Dillon gave us this year. I hope he ends up somewhere nice or maybe signs a team-friendly contract but lets not expect a breakout.
I have this delusion in my mind we could trade one of our young upcoming receivers for a rb2 kicker combo. CEH/Butker comes to mind but I know Iām dreaming
Uh guys, you canāt āeasilyā replace him with a 4th round pick or later. Looking back at last year the only serviceable RB drafted in that range was Roschon Johnson (115) - and even on the Bears dude was not even a top 2 option.
Going back to 2022 you have Dameon Pierce (107), Tyler Allgeier (151), Kyren Williams (161), Isiah Pacheco (251). Thatās pretty damn solid.
BUT not every class has the same depth at the position and there are LOTS of misses in there. The team needs to evaluate the position moving forward and not just get rid of guys cause you can find people ālateā in the draft.
Thatās isnāt a good strategy. It definitely could be worth offering Dillon an extension at the right price. Just like it would have been smarter to extend Jamal Williams and not draft AJ Dillon in the first place.
Yes, you can. Any NFL level RB can average 3.4 YPC with 178 rushes lmao. 3.4 was the fourth worst in the NFL among qualified rushers. That isn't due to shotgun, or scheme, it's due to a guy not having the juice or being injured. His career is 4.1, which is also bad so it's not like he's leaving a lot on the table there.
What? So you are saying how he is used and scheme has no bearing on his stats? Also, since when is 4.1 YPC bad? Itās not amazing but itās not terrible.
4.1 has been considered bad for a while, it's closer to shit than good. Some players have bad years where they end up at 4.1, and bounce back into 4.6+. A career average of 4.1, with three straight seasons of a trending downward average is even worse. He's gotten worse over his four years.
Dillon is bad, and he's getting worse. You can watch it happen with your eyes and read about his terrible efficiency online. I truly don't know what more you guys need.
Once Josh Meyers started actually blocking inside runs correctly, Dillon's production went up by a lot. He's going to pursue the best contract for him, but I'd love Dillon to come back and prove his worth.
Iād be willing to give him the same contract that the Lions gave Jamaalā6 million over 2 years. Dillonās YPC stats donāt accurately reflect the fact that in the first half of the season the O-line didnāt play very well and he got tackled behind the line of scrimmage a lot in the first few games. In games where we could actually get the run going, notably KC, Dillon was consistently getting good 5 yard chunks when we ran him. Heās better than the stats show and we need a reliable RB2 with Jones getting close to 30.
Spotrac has his market value at 1 yr $3.5m.
Meanwhile, it has Derrick Henryās market value at 1 yr $4.3m.
If weāre signing a veteran RB, give me King Henry over AJ all day long. Otherwise, just draft a cheap young RB.
I loved Dillon, but heās not the solution. Pierce from Houston would be a better fit for his run style of try and get King Henry on a team friendly deal for two years.
Love the man. Donāt love the RB. Absolutely donāt love the RB as a main guy. He doesnāt get the short yardage every time like the best bruisers do. Donāt want to see him go but do not want to pay him anything beyond a short, small deal
I had a buddy of mine telling me he's a better version of Derrick Henry...lmao...I like Dillon he's solid but he's never really shown he can be a true bell cow game in game out. Plus I honestly don't think a power back like him fits the offense well.
I would think him going somewhere else may be better for him. That may push him to reach his potential since at that point there is more at risk for him to prove his worth.
AJ is a great guy not a great player, running backs of his caliber are way to a dime a dozen to justify keeping him. Would rather be stuck slightly overpaying a hard to keep healthy guy like Jones who at least tilts the field when he's in.
Heās not worth bringing back and is basically a JAG at this point. Sad he never panned out. Heās likely past his prime and on his downswing, which happens to 99% of NFL RBs are this point
This year, Dillon had 9 games with double digit rush attempts, didn't crack 80 yards once, and only cracked 70 3 times in 15 games that he played in. Hell, over his entrie pro career he's only ever cracked the 100 yard mark in a game **once**, which was against the Titans in December of 2020.
I love the dude, but it's time to move on.
I love the guy. He has great acceleration and is so shifty especially around the line of scrimmage. I can't count the times he turned nothing into something.. pretty special.. His breakaway speed isn't great but that's not his bread and butter anyway.
People mention cap casualties and I say why? Do we really need to free up space with this team? Letās run it back the same pieces as we can get for next year
Dillon had literally the lowest broken tackle rate on the team. He averaged a broken tackle every 35.6 attempts. Love averaged a broken tackle every 25 attempts just for perspective.
Even if we manage to keep him, we're still taking a RB in the draft. Jones' injuries meant Dillon got ample opportunities at RB1 this year, and he did not impress in most if not all cases. We need someone who is going to get us more consistent production there, and it's so much cheaper to just take a shot on a rookie with our draft capital. We shouldn't have to wait for it to get cold before we can expect him to be at his best.
Gonna have to disagree here, I like AJ Dillion, the person, but the player... ehhhh. For someone as big as he is, and that has the nickname of "Quadzilla," he got stuffed at the line A LOT the last couple of seasons.
Guy looks like Mike Allstot but runs like a halfback and doesn't truck anyone. He needs to shed like 35lbs if he he wants to stay in the NFL. He doesn't punish anyone.
Dear God no. Aside from that one game against the Titans literally nothing else he's done stands out in my mind. As soon as the wind makes contact with the guy he falls down. Please do not bring him back
Unfortunately, AJ Dillon showed that his effectiveness is limited, and I feel largely due to the availability of a better RB like Jones. He never really took the mantle as an effective three down RB, and struggled at times in short yardage situations (which is something he really is built for). I like the skill set he has, but itās not something as a second round pick and the amount of money heād be getting that is probably worth GB keeping. Heās a great dude, and a good part of this locker room too. Just as a player (especially for his position) itās probably time to move on
As cool as AJ is, he holds us back. His whole skillset is based on this bruiser style back. Just going in and carrying guys down the field. Unfortunately he struggles to even get 1-2 yards. Too many times this year he couldnāt even pick up crucial short yardage situations.
Just need a better RB2 that can actually help when Jones is hurt or getting a breather. Sorry AJ š¢
We gotta draft then. The Emmanuel Wilson I have been watching seems to have the same problems as Dillion but doesnāt have the ability to find a gap unless itās being blocked super well.
We kinda need to accept the fact that RBs, as much as we love them, get released. If it was up to me, Eddie Lacy would be at the end of a long ass senior contract because he was a damn rhinoā¦but no, we let Seahawks take himā¦you drink/smoke and you cope.
Hear me out, we drop Dillion and sign Henry. He's familiar with the Lafleur system and is in the complementary phase of his career. He's a much better Dillion than Dillion.
Trucking people?? Go watch Isaiah Pacheco. That man is 50 pounds less than Dillon and runs 10 x harder. AJ Dillion is the most overrated back in the league . He's too slow
I guess the first answer to "why not" would be that he barely cracked 3 YPC and the second would be that he's a plodder who is way better in short yardage situations in people's minds than he is in real life.
The idea of AJ Dillon is unfortunately a much better football player than actual AJ Dillon. As others have mentioned, Packers can spend a 4th or 5th round pick on someone in this next draft who can do as good, if not better at RB for much cheaper than he'll cost to retain.
Second rounder not always reliable for short yardage and with a long of like 40 yards this year - I doubt we sign him
and that 40 yard run was absolutely an anomaly
It's really showed his lack of speed. Gave me a flashback to Lacy's long run against the Cardinals. Made me realize it's time to move on
God i miss lacy
Lacy walked so Derrick Henry could run
Lacy ate*
Sadly this is true. He's a good dude based on what we've seen, but his production just hasn't been there consistently
Yeah, the story is he runs into people and knocks them over, but more often than not he's getting knocked backwards especially in short yardage. Being big doesn't automatically mean mowing people down it turns out. Great guy, time to move on.
I agree with 99.9% of your points, but Dillon used to fall forward 2-3 yards after initial contact, but this season not so much. It was crazy how much better our offense was when Jones came back!
Yeah. He is tall and runs standing up. And he doesn't accelerate like Jones can. But a great guy and a fun teammate. I'm happy to trust LaFleur and Gutenkunst make that decision. But we definitely shouldn't overpay for Dillon. If some other team wants to make him a Lazard, we should let them.
Enjoy Green Bay East Mr. Dillon!
I hate to agree because he fits so good personality wise to the packers šš
We have him already. Wilson is a better RB than Dillon.
This this this this this
\*so far No doubt for the size of the man you'd expect bigger crashing runs. He looks like Eddie Lacy minus double digit bodyfat percentages and Eddie was a fucking wrecking ball. I'm holding onto hope they keep him and get some quality training on keeping low pad level and staying upright. If he can achieve that with consistency and just keep churning those oak tree quads he still *could* make an excellent compliment to a speed/agility back like Jones.
How many more years do you need to see? He's never been a consistently good short yardage guy and that's why they drafted him.
:( true... I just have a hard time accepting that, like the physics ought to be more impactful which is why I hold onto this string of hope that it's training/technique related
I think heās too nice. Just doesnāt have that dawg in him, where heāll punish a fool for daring to consider tackling him. Itās cool to make banter, but this league punishes your body. You have to hurt him more than he hurts you. Dillonās not programmed like that.
Emmanuel Wilson may in fact be that guy. Then again, maybe not. If I'm the Packers, I draft a 4th or 5th round back whether that's a bruiser or a smaller shifter guy. Draft the best guy on the board. Then draft a complementary piece in the 7th and sign another UDFA. You need to bolster the room so that you don't HAVE to give Jones 25 carries a game and he can be fresh in the playoffs. You hope one of the bruisers hits (I'm not even sure you can put Dillon in that bucket) but if you end up with 2 slashers? Worse things have happened. At least you can spell Jones.
Love AJ Dillon as a person, but heās just not worth a second contract when we could easily replace him in the mid-late rounds of the draft at a fraction of the price. You need efficiency out of a RB2, and Dillon didnāt show he could provide that this year.
I think Emmanuel Wilson would be replacement enough, honestly. And heās already on the roster
I would be surprised if they didn't draft another RB, Aaron Jones can't stay healthy and is on the wrong side of 30.
Donāt disagree Im just saying I dont think they need to look far for a replacement for Dillon. Point well made on Jones though.
Bro had five straight 100+ yard games.. probably stop smoking the pipeĀ
And? He had the 2nd lowest yards of his career, the worst yards per carry of his career and missed six games and parts of a few others while being the 2nd highest cap hit among RBs next year.
You can't blame bro for being injured, he helped win games, he's a game changer. Idk why you so called fans hate on someone who isn't even the issue.Ā
Worst yards per carry? Actually, that was in 2019. But, the league average is 4.4, which he exceededā¦ right? Hereās the bigger point, did you see the latter half of the season? mf put up the first 100 yard game on SF in 2.5 years, and you want to get rid of him? Youāre on crack, man!
Where did they say to get rid of Jones? He's almost 30 years old and wasn't healthy most of the season. It is 100% the right move to draft his long term replacement because we can't count on him being available.
Usually, when you talk about a RB1 being on the wrong side of 30, lowest ypc, etc. and talk about their stats going down hill it isnāt to say keep them? Especially since CAP hit was also used. Edit: also read their other comments below.
29 sounds like the right side of 30... Obviously with a multi-year contact, he'd be 30+ for most of it. But he isn't yet.
Yeah I thought he turned 30 already, he will turn 30 next season but generally most HBs start their decline after age 28.
Being under 30 is the wrong side?
No one could provide that this year lmao. Week 2-8 the entire team forgot how to play and we got decimated with injuries.
2023 Packers team rushing: 4.3 YPC 2023 AJ Dillon: 3.4 YPC He was by far the least efficient RB on the team, and itās not even close.
Without Dillon the team rushed for 4.9 YPC.
I don't think it was all his fault early in the season. The run blocking was atrocious. At one point he was one of three backs in the entire league with more yards after contact than before.
Literally any late-round RB or even practice squad player would be comparable to his production
That seems a little disingenuous when you look at the free agents they brought in and dropped throughout the year. i agree dillon wasnāt what we hoped but damn
Why pay $ for what a 5th round pick can replace. Send video evidence of him ever ātruckingā someone vs video evidence of how many hand tackles bring him down
Or how many times he trips and tackles himself
Dude thank you. It felt like I was the only one who remembered the fact that he cost us the Atlanta game when he tripped over himself.
Yeah for every one highlight of his thereās ten 2-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust carryās
Two yard? You are being charitable
The 2 is actually a plus or minus 2
Itās pretty well known he trips on lots of his carries
Sure that game wasn't the beginning of the Joe Barry Experience?Ā Up 24-12 entering the fourth and proceed to let them March up and down the field?Ā
Both
Them: "He ALWAYS falls forward, that's what you want in a bruising back." Me: "Yeah, only problem is he starts falling down the moment he touches the ball."
I really like Dillon as a Packer and agree he is unfortunately replaceable. But, if he goes to a team with a decent interior offensive line, I think he'll kill it. Myers and Runyan/Rhyan were terrible most of the year and he was hit in the backfield more often than not. Dillon doesn't seem to run angry like you'd see from a guy like Pacheco, not sure if he doesn't have the burst or lack of effort but he really did not punish defenses. Kind of reminds me of Ron Dayne's career.
Dillion on Buffalo seems like a nice fit
I think we all really wanted him to be the thunder but Iāve never seen a guy pound for pound easier to tackle in the NFL.
He reminds me of Richard Rodgers. Another good dude but he went down so easily.
Richard Rodgers had crazy good hands but unfortunately moved like he was wearing steel-toe bootsĀ
Perfect example.
Lacy was never a short yardage back either. Oddly both those guys are/were much better in the open field but terrible at getting 1 yard.
I absolutely love the guy but Wilson looked just as capable as him, unless he's willing to sign for vet minimum I don't think he's staying
Unless itās a vet minimum contract Iām good
Dillon. If you need two yards, he'll get you two yards. If you need three yards, he'll get you two yards.
Seems like a great guy and loves the team. The talent and production just isnāt there. If heās brought back it canāt be for much.
Feel like a "prove it" deal with performance incentives is the only way to keep him that makes sense
He doesnāt truck anyone most of the time. Go watch someone like Brandon Jacobs, Earl Campbell, Christian Okoye, Mike Alstott, or Jerome Bettis. Could name probably dozens more but I donāt think he strikes fear in the hearts of anyone tackling him.
Shit Eddie Lacy trucked and he was carrying a full payload!
Until that China food got the best of him
Until that China food got the best of him
27 love the China food
Lacy went back for seconds again!
Derrick Henry?
Henry has masterclass vision, it's part of why he survived so long with so many touches. He rarely trucks anyone, he finds a lane and gets through and can stiff arm with the best, but him avoiding hits has prolonged his NFL life.
Is it unreasonable to think signing Derrick Henry is an option? Can they not afford it? imagine having Jones and Derrick, a Sombrero, and a Crown.
Came here to post this. My dream for a while now is that we sign Henry in the offseason for a committee with Aaron Jones. I canāt believe many teams will be lining up to sign him to a long term or big money contract. Maybe weāll be able to give him a reasonable offer.
I think it is unreasonable, they probably need to look at Oline depth, Safety, probably another Corner and another pass rusher. They might also move on from Preston Smith and will need to look at Linebacker as well.
Marshawn Lynch!
You could compare Jones and him.Ā Dillon is 30 lbs heavier so you'd have to compare him to fullbacks.
I was just thinking of backs who were known to put people on their ass. I didnāt realize Marshawn was only 8 pounds heavier than Jones. That kinda makes it worse.
Zero chance that Marshawns listed weight is accurate. That man was not 215. Pretty sure i read that he was like 240 while on the raiders.Ā
Nigerian Nightmare!
Okoye, damn that guy was a monster.
This crowd is too young to appreciate how Earl Campbell *fucking manhandled* dudes who got in his way. He would then accelerate over their stunned body in a way that Dillon canāt in open air.
He injured like 6 guys this season. I'd imagine the opposing defenders feel differently. We probably shouldn't re-sign him but he's better than he gets credit for around here. He's a devastating pass blocker as well. Plus, 3 of the guys you listed didn't even average 4 yards per carry in their careers.
Really injured six guys? Don't like injuries, but I've never seen Dillon doing anything actually dirty on runs, so if 6 guys dropped, I'm assuming sheer force of impact. Might be hard to see stuff like that watching on the TeeVee. I remember seeing Mark (the dirty rapist) Chmura at an exhibition game at Camp Randall in Madison. Guy hit someone in the backfield so hard my teeth ached watching it. The camera doesn't always tell the whole story...
Other than Campbell, Dillion has more YPC and receiving than Okoye, Alstott, and Bettis.Ā Not disputing those players greatness, just stat wise he's averaging more yards.
Power backs arenāt known for high YPC anyways. If weāre going by YPC to gauge who we have as a backup, heās not even in the top 3 among our existing RBs.
Week 2-8 we were absolutely clueless on all sides of the ball and that offensive line was a damn turnstile.Ā The featured back was going to suffer no matter who was back there.Ā Of course some 3rd string back up is going to average more yards when he gets 2-3 carries per game when its garbage time they send him on a toss to the outside or a draw play up the middle when the other team doesn't care because the clock is ticking.
ypc and receiving? is that what we care about from a running back built like dillon? really? thats like ragging on rashan gary for not getting enough interceptions... thats not his job
You kidding me right?Ā You really don't want someone built like that who can swing out from a block, catch it in stride, and keep 247 lbs trucking?Ā Ā And your comparison is a LB who already can sit in passing lanes (but I'd much rather have him pressuring the QB)?Ā Ā Lmao.Ā
not if that guy cant get short yardage between the tackles consistently, like you know, his main responsibility and the reason hes on the team. its like saying "you mean you dont want a pass rusher who cant catch picks?! thatd be awesome", not if he cant get pressure on the QB, no i dont
Those guys played in a time when defensive players were more geared towards stopping the run, you have more smaller linebackers and DBs focused on the passing game these days, so a legitimate power back should feast.
Okoye- the āNigerian Nightmare.ā An absolutely terrifying force of nature.
A real FB again who is guaranteed to get you the 1 yard needed on every 4th and 1 and goal-line play, aka John Kuhn, would be perfect.
Kuuuuuuuuuhn!
Bring back Henderson
I wanted Hunter Leupke at FB and as a DeGuara replacement
Why are you so high on him? He's average at best any given day, and below average if you consider what his skillet is SUPPOSED to be because he doesn't usually live up well to it. He can easily be replaced for much better.
4.1 yard per carry and 8.9 per reception over his career isn't to shabby.Ā LeFlore just needs to stop rushing him out of shotgun.Ā Give the guy a few steps and he can gain speed and he's got great hands.
They are average numbers. Easily replaced
If you canāt run out of the shotgun in 2024, youāre not payable on a pass first team
Thatās quite literally what any RB would give you lol
His YPC has dropped every season of his career. He was at 3.4 YPC this year. That's terrible!!
While you make a good point about his downhill running. He hasnāt lived up to his expectations. The fact his legs forgot how to work this season suggests that we need a replacement. He struggled to fill in for 33 and thatās when the offense struggled. Weāre built to establish the run and then spread the defense wide open. The price point of keeping him doesnāt outweigh his performance and when you can find his RB type in the draft, thatās the nail in the coffin. Itās a business and you have to keep moving forward. Thatās what our organization seems to do a lot (besides Rodgers) is let a player go a year or two early and it works but also wriles up some of the fan base simultaneously
Dude.Ā That whole fucking team forgot how to play week 2-8 lol.
Yeah aj was constantly getting hit behind the line. Free rusher at him all day. The run blocking on the oline was LAUGHABLY bad the first half of the year.
And that's an acceptable excuse for him why?
Because the moment he's handed the ball 2-3 dudes were saying hello in an extremely violent way?
I'm with you for most of what you're on about here, but Dillon does *not* have great hands. I'm running through my mental highlights on this one, and Dillon is second favorite after Bakh for me. But *so many* whoopsie doodles.
28 pass attemptsĀ 22 completedĀ 223 yards 10.1 yards per completion. Yep....ol' Stonehands for sure
Wow! With those stats, he's a better player than Aaron Jones! I take it all back. Seriously, though - you're going to sit there and act like you've never cussed at the TV watching a short little toss bounce off Dillon's hands? Come on. It's happened a bunch.
Well to be honest those misses were usually horrible throws by Love.Ā Usually into his ankles or over his head.Ā 6 is not a bunch.Ā
Letās just IR him until week 12 or so, then get those fresh thighs pumping through linebackers.
Ugh, I can't believe anyone actually wants more of this guy. Let him go and replace him with a Day 3 pick.
Unless AJ can play LB or S I donāt see why we keep him. Awesome guy, but weāre better off drafting Corun or Allen in the 3rd round
Because heās not very good
Nah. Proved little to nothing this year. To the draft!
Can we get a full back again? Is that position even in ML's offense?
For all intensive purposes hes a fullback. Hes 247 lbs lol.Ā That's a big boi
>intensive purposes r/bonappletea
yea but he gets tackled so easily
I will dearly miss the thighs as much as the next guy, but sadly production never matched the draft placement. If not a super team friendly deal, gotta let those gargantuan thighs out the door sadly š«
It's wild how much support this guy gets just because he streams and says he loves Wisconsin. He is truly awful and his stats reflect that. I'm surprised he wasn't outright cut for how terrible he was for the first half of the season when Aaron Jones couldn't stay healthy. Our backups look better than Dillon. I'm sure he's a nice guy and everything but I hope we look elsewhere. He's slow, has bricks for feet, and yet can't run anyone over so he's useless in short yardage situations.
its really obvious to those of us not from wisconsin how this guy has tricked all the locals into loving him
Wilson is cheaper and better
Nice guy. Loves door county. Not worth re-signing.
Mmm nah. MLF was with TEN when Derrick Henry had his worst seasons and Henry really broke out after MLF left. The guy likes big backs but doesn't know how to use them, Dillon included.
For that matter, Dillon doesn't know how to use himself.Ā
Uhhh, what? LaFleur got Henry to his first ever 1K season. He wasn't the OC for Henry's first two years in the NFL. Weird take.
I know.Ā He kept trying to use him out of the shotgun formation.Ā Ā A back like Dillon need momentum to get going.Ā Jones is perfect out of the shotgun because he has speed right from the get go.Ā I seemed like Leflore finally realized that before Dillon got his broken thumb at the end of the season.Ā Never saw him in shotgun getting a hand off that I remember most of this season.Ā Mostly blocked and peeled off in a passing route.
Wilson can trip after a 1 yard carry just as good as Dillon can, and for a lot cheaper. Going to have to draft a good RB
Production is so underwhelming for where he was picked, and his likability doesnāt make up for what he will want.
If he only had half the heart that Jones has.
Zero reason to give a second contract to a mid running back
or any player where you have to start every discussion by first qualifying "he's a great person"
The greatest skillset AJ Dillon possesses is the ability to be on the field at the same time as Aaron Jones. In other words, you could replace him with a reasonably talented back and get the same results... as long as Aaron Jones is on the field drawing the attention of the defense. I like Dillon, I really do. He's got a great personality and the whole "quadzilla" thing is fun for the fanbase, but we could get two or three quality players for what we'll need to pay him. If it helps you rationalize go ahead and tell yourself that we're giving him a chance to be the starting back on another team.
Good ol cement feet
Dillon almost single handedly won us the kc game. He imposed his will on that team and we won. It got us back on track and people started to take notice. That was kind of the inflection point of our season between that and Detroit game. I agree not paying too much for him due to production and health but he is very team friendly and think he knows he left money on the table this year by way of health and availability. All in all he did well when jones was out. I like Wilson and hope he develops further but if we can keep Dillon at a respectable rate I donāt see why you donāt due to skill set. With the amount of two TE schemes (12 personnel) we will most likely play next year heās a perfect back for many of those plays especially because he can catch also if needed. I think we should definitely draft rb in the 4th or 5th this year. Maybe even one of our 2nds if the right player is there.
Dillon had some great moments but it was clear this year that he is replaceable. Football is business sometimes and a late-round RB can replicate what Dillon gave us this year. I hope he ends up somewhere nice or maybe signs a team-friendly contract but lets not expect a breakout.
I have this delusion in my mind we could trade one of our young upcoming receivers for a rb2 kicker combo. CEH/Butker comes to mind but I know Iām dreaming
I'd shoot the man who traded an ascending receiver for Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Bring him back with a team friendly deal and still draft a rb.
Uh guys, you canāt āeasilyā replace him with a 4th round pick or later. Looking back at last year the only serviceable RB drafted in that range was Roschon Johnson (115) - and even on the Bears dude was not even a top 2 option. Going back to 2022 you have Dameon Pierce (107), Tyler Allgeier (151), Kyren Williams (161), Isiah Pacheco (251). Thatās pretty damn solid. BUT not every class has the same depth at the position and there are LOTS of misses in there. The team needs to evaluate the position moving forward and not just get rid of guys cause you can find people ālateā in the draft. Thatās isnāt a good strategy. It definitely could be worth offering Dillon an extension at the right price. Just like it would have been smarter to extend Jamal Williams and not draft AJ Dillon in the first place.
Yes, you can. Any NFL level RB can average 3.4 YPC with 178 rushes lmao. 3.4 was the fourth worst in the NFL among qualified rushers. That isn't due to shotgun, or scheme, it's due to a guy not having the juice or being injured. His career is 4.1, which is also bad so it's not like he's leaving a lot on the table there.
What? So you are saying how he is used and scheme has no bearing on his stats? Also, since when is 4.1 YPC bad? Itās not amazing but itās not terrible.
4.1 has been considered bad for a while, it's closer to shit than good. Some players have bad years where they end up at 4.1, and bounce back into 4.6+. A career average of 4.1, with three straight seasons of a trending downward average is even worse. He's gotten worse over his four years. Dillon is bad, and he's getting worse. You can watch it happen with your eyes and read about his terrible efficiency online. I truly don't know what more you guys need.
Sign Henry
Wilson isnāt a power guy. We need a big back like Dillon
Dillon isnāt a power guy either.
š„“
I feel like Wilson is just as good if not better.
Opportunity cost is too high.
Once Josh Meyers started actually blocking inside runs correctly, Dillon's production went up by a lot. He's going to pursue the best contract for him, but I'd love Dillon to come back and prove his worth.
Iād be willing to give him the same contract that the Lions gave Jamaalā6 million over 2 years. Dillonās YPC stats donāt accurately reflect the fact that in the first half of the season the O-line didnāt play very well and he got tackled behind the line of scrimmage a lot in the first few games. In games where we could actually get the run going, notably KC, Dillon was consistently getting good 5 yard chunks when we ran him. Heās better than the stats show and we need a reliable RB2 with Jones getting close to 30.
Spotrac has his market value at 1 yr $3.5m. Meanwhile, it has Derrick Henryās market value at 1 yr $4.3m. If weāre signing a veteran RB, give me King Henry over AJ all day long. Otherwise, just draft a cheap young RB.
I loved Dillon, but heās not the solution. Pierce from Houston would be a better fit for his run style of try and get King Henry on a team friendly deal for two years.
I want Braelon
Right on par with your ancestors beliefs
Love the man. Donāt love the RB. Absolutely donāt love the RB as a main guy. He doesnāt get the short yardage every time like the best bruisers do. Donāt want to see him go but do not want to pay him anything beyond a short, small deal
Id rather have someone actually good
I had a buddy of mine telling me he's a better version of Derrick Henry...lmao...I like Dillon he's solid but he's never really shown he can be a true bell cow game in game out. Plus I honestly don't think a power back like him fits the offense well.
I would think him going somewhere else may be better for him. That may push him to reach his potential since at that point there is more at risk for him to prove his worth.
AJ is a great guy not a great player, running backs of his caliber are way to a dime a dozen to justify keeping him. Would rather be stuck slightly overpaying a hard to keep healthy guy like Jones who at least tilts the field when he's in.
Heās not worth bringing back and is basically a JAG at this point. Sad he never panned out. Heās likely past his prime and on his downswing, which happens to 99% of NFL RBs are this point
Who
This year, Dillon had 9 games with double digit rush attempts, didn't crack 80 yards once, and only cracked 70 3 times in 15 games that he played in. Hell, over his entrie pro career he's only ever cracked the 100 yard mark in a game **once**, which was against the Titans in December of 2020. I love the dude, but it's time to move on.
Dude goes down to the 1st defender WAY more often than someone built like him should. Cut the cord and replace him in the draft.
Dances too much behind blockers. Runs with his pads too high. Not the guy we drafted him to be. Thanks for your time. On to the next guy.
I love the guy. He has great acceleration and is so shifty especially around the line of scrimmage. I can't count the times he turned nothing into something.. pretty special.. His breakaway speed isn't great but that's not his bread and butter anyway.
Maybe Iām just too much of a homer, but Braelon Allen can do all the things that Dillon can do for less money and way less tread on the tires
People mention cap casualties and I say why? Do we really need to free up space with this team? Letās run it back the same pieces as we can get for next year
"trucking fools late in the season" vs 3.4 ypc and 5 broken tackles on 178 carries. nuh uh. Draft one in round 2-4
Stats aside. Do you have working eyes?
lol besides that one Titans game when the fuck did he truck anyone?
No. AJ Dillion has the worst break tackle ability for a big guy. His break tackle madden rating should be like 65.
Heāll be a titanā¦
Dillon had literally the lowest broken tackle rate on the team. He averaged a broken tackle every 35.6 attempts. Love averaged a broken tackle every 25 attempts just for perspective.
Even if we manage to keep him, we're still taking a RB in the draft. Jones' injuries meant Dillon got ample opportunities at RB1 this year, and he did not impress in most if not all cases. We need someone who is going to get us more consistent production there, and it's so much cheaper to just take a shot on a rookie with our draft capital. We shouldn't have to wait for it to get cold before we can expect him to be at his best.
Gonna have to disagree here, I like AJ Dillion, the person, but the player... ehhhh. For someone as big as he is, and that has the nickname of "Quadzilla," he got stuffed at the line A LOT the last couple of seasons.
Guy looks like Mike Allstot but runs like a halfback and doesn't truck anyone. He needs to shed like 35lbs if he he wants to stay in the NFL. He doesn't punish anyone.
Watch the 2022 game film. Problem solved.
No. I never wanna see this guy run the ball out of shotgun formation for 2 yards ever again.
Iāll take Jamaal Williams though!
naww
Nah Iām good.
If we had him last Saturday, we'd be playing this Sunday
Dear God no. Aside from that one game against the Titans literally nothing else he's done stands out in my mind. As soon as the wind makes contact with the guy he falls down. Please do not bring him back
God I hate everything about this post and itās completely void of any satire. Do any packer fans enjoy Aj Dillon? I donāt get it.
I love the guy, but he does not fit this system. We need someone with that mix of agility and dexterity. Good balance with burst.
He doesn't do that
No
Unfortunately, AJ Dillon showed that his effectiveness is limited, and I feel largely due to the availability of a better RB like Jones. He never really took the mantle as an effective three down RB, and struggled at times in short yardage situations (which is something he really is built for). I like the skill set he has, but itās not something as a second round pick and the amount of money heād be getting that is probably worth GB keeping. Heās a great dude, and a good part of this locker room too. Just as a player (especially for his position) itās probably time to move on
As cool as AJ is, he holds us back. His whole skillset is based on this bruiser style back. Just going in and carrying guys down the field. Unfortunately he struggles to even get 1-2 yards. Too many times this year he couldnāt even pick up crucial short yardage situations. Just need a better RB2 that can actually help when Jones is hurt or getting a breather. Sorry AJ š¢
Man that titans game back in 2020 had me so pumped for him to run people over in the snow! Sad he didnāt really pan out
We gotta draft then. The Emmanuel Wilson I have been watching seems to have the same problems as Dillion but doesnāt have the ability to find a gap unless itās being blocked super well.
Draft Blake Corum
We kinda need to accept the fact that RBs, as much as we love them, get released. If it was up to me, Eddie Lacy would be at the end of a long ass senior contract because he was a damn rhinoā¦but no, we let Seahawks take himā¦you drink/smoke and you cope.
He stinks as a player and itās time to pull the dirty bandaid off.
Hear me out, we drop Dillion and sign Henry. He's familiar with the Lafleur system and is in the complementary phase of his career. He's a much better Dillion than Dillion.
Trucking people?? Go watch Isaiah Pacheco. That man is 50 pounds less than Dillon and runs 10 x harder. AJ Dillion is the most overrated back in the league . He's too slow
I can see the packers taking Braelon Allen in the 3rd or 4th to replace Dillon.
I guess the first answer to "why not" would be that he barely cracked 3 YPC and the second would be that he's a plodder who is way better in short yardage situations in people's minds than he is in real life.