Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon will need to carry the Packers in 2022
With a laughable wide receiving corps, running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will need to carry the Green Bay Packers to victory in the 2022 NFL season.
It goes without saying that losing Davante Adams kills the passing game for the Green Bay Packers. This is especially true when you consider that he led the Packers with 169 targets while the runner-up, Aaron Jones, a running back, faced just 65 targets in the passing game. Now that the dust is settling, let’s take a quick look at what the receiving room looks like without Adams.
As of right now, the Packers have a total of 13 wide receivers on their preseason roster and they combine for a total of 202 starts in the regular season. 175 of those starts come from Sammy Watkins (91) and Randall Cobb (84), both of whom are shadows of their former selves. Seven other players in the room combine for just 27 starts in the NFL while the remaining four are rookies. To say the team lacks experience and depth in this receiving corps is a gross understatement. Now let’s talk about the dropped passes…
As Green Bay leads the preseason with a dropped pass percentage of 10.5%, it’s clear to the coaching staff that their pass attack is going to have to take a gap year in 2020 unless the front office makes a blockbuster trade(s). But, as we all know the brass by now, that’s just not going to happen. What you see now is what you get until December. Not even summer camp standout, rookie Romeo Doubs, has escaped the debacle of dropped passes. And people wonder why Aaron Rodgers doesn’t trust his receivers.
Hope is not yet lost though, as head coach Matt LeFleur still has an ace up his sleeve (or two for that matter). There’s a clear answer to the problems this offense will face in 2022, and it’s running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon who combine to make one of the most dangerous backfield duos in the NFL. Jones was second on the team last year in targets, and will once again play a huge role as a two-way threat on offense (hope you drafted him in fantasy!).
As exceptional as Aaron Jones is, the true recipe for success is involving AJ Dillon in the offense even more. Standing 6’0″ – 247 pounds, even the toughest linebackers think twice before standing in front of the “Quad Father” on the goal line, never mind in the open field. In addition to his incredible size and power, he runs a 4.40 40-yard dash, has fantastic agility, as well as reliable hands on short passing routes.
In order for the Green Bay Packers to suppress the Minnesota Vikings, who look to reclaim the throne for the NFC North in the ’22 season, along with the numerous other threats in their daunting conference, they need to live through Jones and Dillon.
Don’t be surprised if both running backs reach 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards each this upcoming season. That’s how destructive this duo can be, and they’re going to have to play at that level if the team hopes to keep their window open. Those numbers aren’t goals, they need to be the standard for 2022.