There aren’t many Packers more popular than AJ Dillon. He has not been shy about his love of Wisconsin and was even awarded the “key” to the state’s popular vacation area, Door County, where he and his wife Gabrielle have a residence. Coach Matt LaFleur even dubbed him “the mayor” because of Dillon’s popularity.
But that was all before Dillon’s less-than-inspiring performance in the Packers’ preseason opener, specifically a spot in the first quarter in which the Packers had a second-and-1 situation at the 46-yard line. The team gave Dillon the ball three times in an attempt to get the yard, and he failed, leading to a turnover on downs.
Now, there are suggestions that Dillon’s preseason showing, compounded by his overall decline in recent years, could cost him his spot on the roster. At SB Nation, it was noted that Emanuel Wilson, not Dillon, has been the Packers’ second-best back in camp, and the analysis site A-to-Z Sports wrote that Dillon would be safe if the Packers keep four running backs, “But if they want to keep three, Dillon might be the odd man out.”
AJ Dillon Returned on a Team-Friendly Contract
Dillon signed a very team-friendly contract with the Packers this offseason, worth $2.5 million, with a cap hit of just $1.3 million. Cutting him would not be a big blow to the team’s salary structure. And if the presumption is that starter Josh Jacobs and rookie Marshawn Lloyd are certain to be on the 53-man roster, the question becomes whether Wilson or Dillon sticks if the team goes with three running backs.
After the turnover on downs in the opener, calls for Dillon’s job grew louder. Austin Krueger, who writes about the Packers for Fan Sided, wrote on Twitter/X, “Look… idk… but I’m not sure the Packers keep 4 RBs and AJ Dillon might be the odd man out. Emanuel Wilson looked electric last season and after what he showed today, I’m afraid he’s become a whole electric factory.”
Dillon, for his part, claimed he did not follow what is being said about him on social media, and told reporters (via Cody Krupp of Fox 11 in Green Bay):
“In all honesty, if you don’t live inside my house your opinion, to me, is so secondary that I couldn’t be bothered with it. But to anybody on Twitter or whatever, you can’t do what we’re doing, [so] just enjoy, just watch.”
Packers Have Seen Steady Decline
The problem for Dillon, though, is that it’s not just people on Twitter who are evaluating him. It’s the coaches, too. And when cut-down day comes, unless he has a major bounce-back in the next two weeks, Dillon is in danger.
It’s not just 2024 that is the problem—it’s the past four years, too. Dillon averaged 5.3 years per carry back when he was a rookie in 2020, and 4.3 yards per carry in 2021. In his third season, that was 4.1 yards. But Dillon dropped to 3.4 yards per carry last year, and his reputation as a short-yardage grinder has taken a hit.
As for the failure to gain a yard on three tries, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich pointed to the pad level, not just of Dillon, but of the whole offense.
“Obviously any time you get into a short-yardage situation and you don’t get it, you’re pretty disappointed,” Stenavich said, via PackersNews.com. “But just one thing, we’ve got to play with better pad level, and that’s across the board, that’s every single guy on the play I felt just needed to improve the pad level.”
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Packers Fan Favorite in Danger of Being Cut After Preseason Failure