Packers RB A.J. Dillon lands on IR, will miss 2024 season after latest neck injury

A.J. Dillon’s season is over.

The Inexperienced Bay Packers positioned the working again on injured reserve on Tuesday, ending his 2024 season earlier than it might start.

Dillon missed the ultimate three video games of final season after he sustained a neck harm. Whereas he recovered from that stinger this offseason, Dillon went down with an identical neck harm through the Packers’ joint apply with the Denver Broncos final week. He stated final week whereas ready for extra checks that the harm felt completely different than the one he sustained final season.

Whereas specifics of his harm aren’t but identified, it’s extreme sufficient to maintain him sidelined for all the 2024 marketing campaign.

Dillon ran for 613 yards and had two touchdowns final season, his fourth with the Packers. He has been Aaron Jones’ longtime backup in Inexperienced Bay, who first chosen him with the No. 62 total decide within the 2020 NFL Draft. The Packers launched Jones earlier this offseason and introduced in Josh Jacobs in free company. Jacobs spent his first 5 seasons within the league with the Las Vegas Raiders, and he racked up 805 dashing yards and 6 touchdowns in 13 video games final season.

Dillon, who signed a one-year deal to return to Inexperienced Bay, was anticipated to take a major chunk of snaps behind Jacobs this season. Head coach Matt LaFleur stated Dillion was in “THE finest form” he’s seen throughout coaching camp. With Dillon now sidelined, the Packers will doubtless must lean on Emanuel Wilson whereas rookie MarShawn Lloyd is recovering from a hamstring harm.

The Packers, who went 9-8 final season and made the playoffs for the fourth time prior to now 5 years, will open their season in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Brazil.

Fantasy spin: A.J. Dillon wasn’t a participant most fantasy soccer managers had been actively pursuing in drafts this 12 months, however his absence for the season does appear to have cleared up some confusion (at the least, for now) concerning the Packers working again committee.

Josh Jacobs is the unquestioned starter for 2024, and he all the time has been, however some questions concerning the potential to rotate between Dillon and rookie MarShawn Lloyd had some fantasy managers on the fence about whether or not or not his second-round ADP in Yahoo Drafts was price it. By all accounts, even when Jacobs is as inefficient as he was in his ultimate season with the Las Vegas Raiders, his pathway to quantity on an ascending offense ought to preserve his worth as an RB1 in fantasy this 12 months.

Third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd is not wholesome proper now both sadly, however he did keep away from a stint on IR to begin the season, which is nice information for his potential availability for a second-half surge. The true backup for Jacobs proper now may simply be Emanuel Wilson, a 25-year-old former UDFA who totaled 18 touches for 108 scrimmage yards as a rookie in 2023. — Kate Magdziuk