The Green Bay Packers moved on from several high draft picks in the offseason, including former first-rounder Eric Stokes and second-round choice Josh Myers. They also opted not to re-sign A.J. Dillon, their 2020 second-round pick.
Green Bay expected Dillon to become the perfect complement to Aaron Jones in the rushing attack, providing the ability to break tackles and add yards after contact. But it never happened. In 2023, Dillon produced a career-low 3.4 yards per carry and an average of just 2.69 yards after contact per attempt. He didn't play last season due to injury.
The Packers chose not to bring him back this past offseason, and he instead signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. But Dillon is seemingly no longer part of the Eagles' plans this season.
A.J. Dillon has become a weekly healthy scratch for Eagles
There was plenty of buzz about Dillon during Eagles camp this summer, with many believing he could become the tackle-breaking running back they needed to complement All-Pro Saquon Barkley. But despite playing behind a better run-blocking offensive line, the results haven't been there. Packers fans saw this play out throughout his time in Green Bay.
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Dillon had six carries in the Eagles' opening two contests, but just six more over the next four. Tank Bigsby, whom they traded for in September, and Will Shipley have overtaken Dillon on the depth chart, and the former Packer has now been a healthy scratch for the past four games. That included his return to Lambeau in Week 10.
"Dillon has not shown up in an Eagles game since their first matchup against the New York Giants, where he muffed a kickoff return and fumbled on offense within a few plays of each other," writes Anthony Miller of Inside the Iggles.
"It's a disappointment to Eagles fans, as there were high hopes for Dillon potentially being the downhill runner while Saquon Barkley could be the speed breakaway guy."
Packers fans will remember Dillon's 124-yard, two-touchdown game in a snowy Lambeau Field against the Tennessee Titans in 2020, his rookie season. It provided hope of what was to come, especially after the team moved on from Jamaal Williams.
But outside of a few tough runs here and there, Dillon never rediscovered his production from that evening.
It seems inevitable that his time with the Eagles will come to an end following this season. He is now their RB4 behind Barkley, Bigsby, and Shipley.
Unfortunately, as much as Packers fans loved Dillon during his five-year stay in Green Bay, they saw this coming. Dillon rarely provided the tackle-breaking runs everyone expected. That role now belongs to Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson in Matt LaFleur's offense.
The Eagles' decision to trade for Bigsby early in the season said a lot, and now, Dillon is clearly no longer in their plans.