HANDCUFF: A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers
Dillon is another backup/handcuff situation where he’ll fill into the role that Jamaal Williams had in the offense, but he won’t have to battle Williams anymore. He’s the Packers’ RB2. He’ll come in whenever Aaron Jones needs a breather and if the Packers’ best running back goes down with an injury, Dillion steps in and can be that feature back.
So where do Dillon and Williams differ? Williams is an all-around back, excellent in pass blocking and could catch the ball when needed. Dillon is a pure runner, not much to showcase as far as pass-catching goes, but he’s very effective with the pill. In his rookie campaign, Dillon ran the ball 46 times for 244 yards for a 5.3 ypc average.
His timeshare will grow this season because the Packers will want to keep Jones (a top 5 rusher in 2020) at around 200-250 carries and 50 receptions. Williams averaged 125.0 carries in his four years at Green Bay, so it’s reasonable to expect 500-600 yards rushing for Dillon, as Jones’ backup.
