Dillon Understands ‘Big Alarm’ About Latest Stinger

Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon missed the final three games of last season with a stinger. Dillon said it’s “human nature” to be concerned about this stinger.

Packers RB AJ Dillon signs a copy of his book at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A stinger kept Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon out of the final three games of last season. He’s not sure if the stinger that kept him out of last week’s preseason game at Denver and probably will hold him out of the preseason finale against Baltimore is any more or less severe.

“They’re definitely not all alike,” Dillon said after Wednesday’s practice. He said he’s “waiting to hear back and get all the information” following tests.

Dillon said he suffered the stinger during the joint practice at Denver on Friday.

Last year, Dillon sustained a stinger during the Week 17 victory at Minnesota. He wound up missing the Week 18 game against Chicago and both playoff games.

The Packers will kick off the 2024 NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles in 16 days. While he’s optimistic, he has no idea when he’ll return to action.

“They’re a lot different,” he said of the injury. “Some are common; a lot of guys reference getting a stinger at some point. I’ve had stingers in the past before the incident last year. As you know, certain things happen. Some are more severe than others. You kind of look at it differently but, like I said, we’re waiting to get opinions back. See all the information before we make any statements that are untrue.”

After missing three games last year with a similar injury, Dillon said not knowing the severity of this injury is worrisome.

“It’s human nature,” he said, “but there is nothing you can do about it. I’m not a doctor, so it’s kind of on their time to let me know what their thoughts are. Our trainers, I think above everything, we want to be safe and smart. You only get one body.

“So, thinking about how we can be out there and be as protected but also go out there and play carefree and go play football the way I want to play football.”

Before practice, coach Matt LaFleur said, “absolutely there’s a concern,” and the team will proceed with caution with its presumptive No. 2 back.

“The good thing is, before this, I have not missed any OTAs, practices for anything. I haven’t missed any days of camp,” Dillon said.

“I know it’s a big alarm right now, but I have not missed a day in camp. I’ve been healthy throughout it all, not taking any days off, so I’m not going to be worried about us being cautious and try to make sure that I’m around the entire season rather than a day in camp.”

Before the injury, Dillon thought he had been having a “great” camp. While he failed to produce behind a struggling offensive line during his four carries at Cleveland in the preseason opener, he has been productive at camp as a runner, receiver and pass protector.

“I had a goal in mind to come out here and be as healthy and as in shape as I possibly could be and touching weights that I’ve never been at before,” Dillon said. “So, I’m having a good time just kind of flying around and trying to be a leader – another leader in the room, in the offense.

“I think I have a really good grasp of what we do on offense. I think doing that and having that knowledge, I’ve really been able to just kind of slow the game down. So, in practices and in situations we’ve been in, I’ve been pretty relaxed and having a ton of fun just playing football.”

The “touching weights” he’d “never been at before” was a bit of hyperbole. However, he’s down to about 240 pounds. That’s the lightest he’s been since high school or possibly his freshman year at Boston College, he said. At the Scouting Combine before the 2020 NFL Draft, he was 247. He was in the 250s during his final season at BC.

“This is all trial and error,” Dillon said. “I’m like, ‘Hey, I feel good. I’m still strong, still lifting all my weights.’ The trainers are like, ‘Do you have a goal in mind?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. We’ll just see. We’ll just see how light and how quick on my feet I can get, and we’ll go from there.’ …

“It’d be really cool to touch 230 but I don’t know if that’s feasible with also trying to take a pounding.”

The goal, Dillon said, wasn’t necessarily about cranking up his productivity after averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season and ranking among the worst in the NFL in yards after contact and missed-tackle percentage.

Rather, Dillon wants to be at his best for the stretch run and not have “heavy legs” for a potential playoff push.

“The whole mindset, it was never about weight. I don’t really actually have a weight goal,” he said. “It’s fun to talk about, and I feel like that’s the only thing people kind of understand is weights and numbers, so I talk in those terms.

“It’s really just trying to be as conditioned as I could. Camp is long, it’s a grueling process, the season’s long, so I really want to be, ‘Hey, we’re in Week 15, we’re in Week Whatever, playoffs, I’m still good, I’m still fresh.’ Just trying to really get in shape this offseason and push myself to another level that I hadn’t been at and I haven’t really touched.

“I really feel like that’s where I’m at. I can run and run and run and I feel like I’m in a good spot. Just having fun with trying to get better. I think that’s what everyone wants to do, and I’m really enjoying the process of getting better every day. It’s fun. Whether it’s weight, whether it’s how much weight I’m lifting, just trying to get better, and I’m having fun doing it.”

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