Eleven players had at least one rushing attempt for the Green Bay Packers in their 23-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in the first week of the 2024 preseason. Emanuel Wilson led the team in attempts, rushing yards, and touchdowns and had the longest rush.
Jarveon Howard had a strong showing, rushing for 44 yards on eight attempts (5.5 yards per carry). MarShawn Lloyd added a rush for eight yards before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. Ellis Merriweather gained seven yards on two attempts.
On the other hand, AJ Dillon struggled to start the game. He had four attempts for only two yards, and Cleveland stuffed him on three consecutive short-yardage situations. Green Bay ended up turning the ball over on downs during that drive.
Short-yardage situations were a problem for the Packers last year, regardless of who was at running back. However, Dillon too often seemed to be the one carrying the ball when the Packers got stuffed. In a span of two weeks, Green Bay was shut down on back-to-back plays against the Los Angeles Chargers and failed to convert a fourth-and-one against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
The Packers signed Josh Jacobs in free agency, and he’s earning a top-five running back salary, per Over the Cap. He will be Green Bay’s starting running back. The Packers also invested a third-round pick in MarShawn Lloyd, who fits LaFleur’s scheme better than Dillon and has had a nice start to camp.
In the Cleveland game, the Packers had 98 total rushing yards after contact, and 51% of them came from Wilson. Dillon’s biggest strength was supposed to be breaking tackles, but he struggled with it immensely last year. In contrast, Wilson is off to a strong start in that area this season.
Wilson is more efficient in breaking tackles, and it’s concerning that at 5’11”, 226 lbs., he’s a more physical power back than Dillon, who’s 6’0”, 247 lbs. Many fans view Wilson as the fourth running back on the roster, and he’s started 2024 by outplaying the guy many considered the second back on the depth chart.
Dillon is coming off his worst statistical season since entering the league in 2020. He posted career lows in yards per attempt, rushing touchdowns, and yards after contact per attempt. He also only forced 21 missed tackles, just four more than his career low of 17 in 2020, despite having 132 more carries.
After the 2023 season, the Packers re-signed Dillon to a four-year player-qualifying contract. Dillon is set to earn $1,292,500 in 2024, taking up less than 1% of Green Bay’s cap space. Although that makes him a cost-effective option, it’s far from a strong endorsement. If Wilson continues to outperform Dillon, there’s no reason to think Green Bay can’t move on from him. Dillon can be a valuable HB2 for many NFL teams.
The Packers will figure out Lloyd’s ceiling. While Jacobs had the worst year of his career in 2022, it was with the Las Vegas Raiders’ struggling offense. Green Bay has a competent offense that can help Jacobs return to his All-Pro, Pro Bowl form. Meanwhile, Wilson is younger and offers better value than Dillon.
A.J. Dillon will likely make the final roster due to his familiarity with LaFleur’s system and his veteran presence in the locker room. No one in the Packers organization has had anything negative to say about him, which speaks volumes about his character. However, it’s hard to argue that he’s a top-three running back on the roster, and he only has two more preseason games to prove otherwise.
