#PackersDaily: Bringing AJ Dillon back is a smart move
The Packers bringing back running back AJ Dillon gives them low cost stability at the position that doesn't preclude them from looking to the future in next month's draft.
By PackerAaron
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Comments (10)
THESZOTMAN1
March 15, 2024 at 07:16 pm
Well, if we couldn't keep one AJ, glad we could retain the other.
Dillon's a good player. And a great dude. Should mesh well with Jacobs.
The Szotman
SicSemperTyrannis
March 15, 2024 at 09:39 pm
I'd love to see Dillon used in the Kyle Juscyk role. There's also a reason I hate calling #33 AJ.
jannesbjornson
March 16, 2024 at 11:15 am
He has not demonstrated that ability in four years, so I doubt he can pull it off going forward. Cade Stover, Jaheim Bell and Dallin Holker would fit the HB profile. LaFleur would have to adopt the bad ass approach to running the ball with a Lead Dog like Shanahan.
golfpacker1
March 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Yeah, I would prefer a bigger guy also Jannes. Using a regular TE in this role gives us a much bigger blocker when used that way, someone who can flat stone a blitzer. Plus the catch radius is much bigger with a 6'5 guy vs a 6'2 guy, which is way better for Love.
The more I think about this, I don't think we need to waste a pick on someone new. Getting Kraft to fill this limited role gets him on the field more plus he is a far better athlete than Deguara. The other TE, Tyler Davis would also be a great option.
jannesbjornson
March 16, 2024 at 12:40 pm
Kraft should be the starter, he's the better TE. The Lead Dog should fit the Juszczyk profile as a Fullback. 6'-2, 235-240 lbs who gets out in front of the runner, not coming from Inline sets. Full head of steam, He puts fear in the defender and can make the sideline catches on the wheel routes. LaFleur probably thought Deguara could do this role when they drafted him, but he didn't have the Desire.
golfpacker1
March 16, 2024 at 04:30 pm
What difference does it make if the H-Back is 6'2 or 6'5? Kraft and Davis are faster than Deguara was, and they catch better. There should be no NFL authorized size for a fullback.
I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan and our 6'6 H-Back was excellent this year. In fact he was one of the few things about our offense that was good this year. Way better than the alligator armed, shorter FBs we have had for years at Iowa. We have always used FBs and HBs and I have wondered for years why we don't just use better blocking, bigger TEs for that position. This year we did.
Ferrari-Driver
March 15, 2024 at 09:34 pm
The question came up about Josh Jacobs and Aaron Nagler said he hadn't looked closely yet about Jacobs performance with the Raiders yet, but wanted to do so this coming weekend. I listened to a video podcast by Andy Herman who is a Cheesehead columnist and he watched every snap that Jacobs took as a Raider in 2022 and 2023 and evaluated his performance and potential as a Packers. I found the link to that video that anyone who is interested can see what Andy thinks of Jacobs: https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/pack-a-day-podcast-episode-2058-did-josh-j...
golfpacker1
March 16, 2024 at 12:11 pm
Nobody has mentioned that Dillon could end up the RB3,after the draft, instead of Wilson. We have mentioned that signing Dillon might just be a cheap insurance policy. I have always liked Dillon because he runs hard, catches everything, is a good blocker, and doesn't turn the ball over much. This different contract GB used with Dillon makes him as cheap as Wilson. I can see this happening.
The Packers real plan will be more defined when we see what type of RB they draft. Either an AJ clone type like Irving, Wright, Lloyd, or Brooks. Or if they go bigger as they have said, like Allen, Estime, or even Guerendo who would be a faster combo guy like Jacobs is.
jannesbjornson
March 16, 2024 at 12:41 pm
Draft two more RBs with talent and let the scrubs move on. Get Better.
joejetson
March 16, 2024 at 08:21 pm
I seem to remember last season that they were coaching Dillon to run less upright with more "forward lean".
What happened was that made it easier to trip him up with low tackles and he wasn't powering through tackles for extra yards.
It looked like he went back to his old running style later in the season and resumed dragging defenders for extra yards.
That along with better blocking seemed to bring back the old AJ Dillon.