The Green Bay Packers placed veteran running back AJ Dillon on injured reserve without a designation to return, meaning his season is over.
He suffered a stinger this preseason and had missed the last week-plus with the injury. Publicly, the Packers didn’t offer a return timetable and instead said they were waiting for more opinions on Dillon’s injury. He missed three games late last season with a stinger and will now miss his fifth season in the league with another.
Drafted in the second round in 2020, Dillon at times flashed potential to be a feature back in Green Bay but ultimately never materialized to much more than a No. 2 option behind Aaron Jones. Entering the 2024 season, he figured to be Josh Jacobs’ backup, at least to start the year, especially with rookie third-rounder MarShawn Lloyd dealing with a hamstring injury that has sidelined him the last several weeks. The Packers included Lloyd on their initial 53-man roster, along with second-year undrafted running back Emanuel Wilson.
Dillon signed for barely more than the veteran minimum to return to the Packers on a one-year deal this offseason, but now his future in both Green Bay and in the NFL is uncertain.
Green Bay’s initial roster had a couple other surprises. Foremost among them was the inclusion of veteran kicker Greg Joseph and the release of incumbent and 2023 draft pick Anders Carlson. Carlson (61-of-75, 81.3 percent) had a better field-goal percentage this summer in practices and games than Joseph (58-of-74, 78.4), but the Packers cut bait with the 26-year-old, who missed a kick in nine of the last 12 games last season. It’s possible Joseph isn’t their kicker come Week 1 either, if a kicker the team likes better becomes available via waivers or free agency.
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Packers acquiring QB Malik Willis from Titans
The Titans officially announced the trade of quarterback Malik Willis to the Packers, who sent a 2025 seventh-round pick to Tennessee for their new backup quarterback. The Packers kept only Jordan Love and Willis on their initial 53 at quarterback while releasing Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt, though it’s possible one of them is re-signed to the practice squad and elevated for Week 1 to serve as Love’s backup in Brazil while Willis continues learning the offense.
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