A crowded Green Bay Packers’ running back corps could result in a surprising trade this summer.
Green Bay has three talented backs on its depth chart entering training camp.
26-year-old bruiser A.J. Dillon, who was drafted by the Packers in the 2020 NFL Draft, is joined by new acquisition Josh Jacobs and rookie MarShawn Lloyd. Green Bay selected Lloyd out of USC at No. 88 in the 2024 draft.
Jacobs is the obvious alpha dog of the Packer trio. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler who was given a four-year/$ 48M deal by Green Bay for a reason. Jacobs will be taking the bulk of the handoffs from Jordan Love this season, with Dillon serving as a secondary ground attacker.
Lloyd factors in as a third option heading into camp, but that might soon change, according to reports.
Dillon was recently listed as one of three Packers most likely to be traded this offseason by ClutchPoints’ Liam Hanley, with Hanley citing Lloyd’s rising talent as a key harbinger of the trade.
“MarShawn Lloyd could be the running back of the future,” Hanley said. “Lloyd is a dangerous playmaker with good size and speed … Lloyd will be a solid third-down back and change-of-pace option for the Packers. He has the upside to become much more, which should worry AJ Dillon. … Lloyd’s explosiveness and proven college production will be enough to make AJ Dillon’s role in the Green Bay offense tenuous, possibly putting the fifth-year back on the trading block.”
The writing might be on the wall for Dillon’s imminent departure. His decrease in production last season was surely a huge factor in Green Bay acquiring Jacobs and drafting Lloyd. Dillon’s yards per carry have diminished each season he’s been in the NFL. He’s also a convenient trade asset carrying a cap hit of merely $ 1.29M in 2024.
The Packers seem locked and loaded for a Dillon trade, and the only question that remains is which of Dillon’s suitors will end up on the other side of a deal.
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