Packer Central

Dillon Thanks Fans for ‘Overwhelming Support’

With AJ Dillon on injured reserve and facing an uncertain future in the NFL, the Packers will rely on Josh Jacobs in next week’s season-opening game against the Eagles.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon (28) makes a victory lap after beating the Chiefs on Dec. 3.
Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon (28) makes a victory lap after beating the Chiefs on Dec. 3. / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday due to the second significant stinger in eight months, thanked fans for their support.

“Thank you all for the overwhelming support during this tough time,” he said on Instagram. “This injury is a tough blow, but I’m staying positive and surrounded by an incredible support system, including my family, friends, and the entire Packers organization. Right now, my focus is on getting healthy, and I’m rooting for my brothers to take care of business all season long, starting with game 1 in Brazil. 

“Go Pack Go!”

Dillon missed the final three games of last season with a stinger sustained against Minnesota on New Year’s Eve.

Re-signed to a one-year contract in free agency, Dillon was on his way to reprising his valuable backup role until he suffered another stinger during the joint practice at Denver on Aug. 16.

In most cases, stingers are a mere nuisance. A study showed about three-quarters of NFL players who suffered a stinger do not miss any time.

That Dillon missed three weeks (and potentially more) with last year’s stinger was troublesome. The latest stinger provided additional pause.

As one expert said: “A series of stingers or stingers in both arms are always a cause for concern and would require expert medical evaluation. There is some concern of cervical spine involvement with these cases.”

As Dillon said: “You only get one body.”

The Packers placed Dillon on season-ending injured reserve as part of their 53-man roster cutdown.

“I think we’re very, very cautious with head, neck and hearts around here and we always have been,” general manager Brian Gutekunst explained a day later. “Obviously, he had the injury last year, went through some things this year.

“I won’t get into any of the details of it but it was something we weren’t comfortable with at the moment. Hopefully, that will change in time – obviously, he won’t be with us this year – but he’s going to need some time to get through this to see exactly how this will shake out. We’re wishing the best for him. Obviously, he’s a pro’s pro and it’s a tough blow when these things happen. Hopefully, here in a short time, he’ll get some good news.”

Dillon had missed only one game due to injury in his entire four-year career until last year’s stinger. 

Dillon was set to be the team’s No. 2 back behind Josh Jacobs. Coach Matt LaFleur envisioned using Jacobs and Dillon as a tandem, just like he did with Aaron Jones and Dillon.

“It certainly leaves us with a void, but that’s life in the National Football League,” LaFleur said. “You’ve got to adapt or you die, so we’d better adapt.”

The Packers will kick off the 2024 NFL season on Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. With Dillon out of action and rookie MarShawn Lloyd working his way back from a hamstring injury – it did not appear that he practiced on Wednesday – the Packers could have to lean on Jacobs in a shorthanded backfield.

“What’s nice is he’s been in those roles where you can really lean on him in the run game and everything else. He’s used to that,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of Jacobs on Thursday. “But you’ve just got to be smart with that and play it by ear and make sure you’re not overusing him too much early.

“Emanuel (Wilson)’s played, so it’s not like we’re putting in a guy that hasn’t done anything. And then you just take it week by week and see what the situation is with the running backs, with the health of the room and then just go forward week by week, don’t really look too far into the future.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.